Little Sister
by tanwellman
Summary: The Story of how Jasper grows to love Bella as his little sister. Takes place during Breaking Dawn. Three parts: Bella's pregnancy, After Pregnancy, and Jasper/Alice's Disappearance.Jasper's POV, all characters are in-character.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Welcome to, Little Sister, which is the story of Jasper's relationship with Bella. It takes place during "Breaking Dawn," so there are spoilers throughout, but I'm assuming we've all read Breaking Dawn, or we wouldn't be having Twilight Withdraw and reading and writing to make the shaking stop... :D Here is the Outline for this story (all from Jaspers POV):**

**Book 1- Bella's Transformation**

**Book 2- Jasper and Bella Bonding (takes place after Renesemee's Born, before the Volturi)**

**Book 3- Alice and Jasper's Flight to Save Renesemee (Their journey to South America when they "disappeared" before the fight)**

**As with most first chapters, this one is mostly a "set up" chapter. More action and dialogue will follow. Another obvious statement: I don't own Twilight (but like everyone else, I wish I did!) Without further delay, here is CHAPTER ONE of "Little Sister." **

Little Sister, Book 1/Chapter 1

Love rarely makes sense, at least to those observing it. My ability to read emotions confirmed that fact to me time after time. Parents often did not understand why their child chose a particular person to love—more often than not, the parents thought their child could do "much better." Humans also tended to judge their friends' prospective loves against their own standards, many times not understanding what it was about that particular suitor that made their friend so happy.

That was the key—each person has a unique sense of love, and others will never totally understand it. However, if a person is unselfish enough, they will see the happiness and completeness in the other couple, and that happiness will be enough to justify that union.

This is the case with Bella and Edward. I personally had never been able to comprehend—no, _fathom_, Edward's love for Bella. In the beginning, I was appalled by his attraction to her. Nothing against her personally—I had no issue with her. In fact, I had no opinion of her at all. She was just one of many faceless humans that we interacted with. His fascination with her seemed not only obviously quite dangerous, but unnatural as well. There was just something that felt wrong to me about it, although I was never able to fully figure out why. Edward did not take kindly to this particular train of thought.

Eventually, I came to realize that she would forever be a part of our family, so I learned to tolerate and even appreciate her. As a vampire, our temperaments and personalities rarely change. This was a slow process for me, but even that was not the final stage. The final stage was permanent. Finally, I ended up loving this unique and fragile human girl.

What changed, and what made me fall in love with Bella myself (in such a sweet, pure, brotherly way) was the way she completed our family—she completed Edward, she completed Alice, and in essence, she completed me. See, although I had found happiness with Alice, and a new sense of belonging with the Cullens, our family was never complete. That is, until Bella stumbled into our lives.

Bella changed Edward so completely that he became a different person. An apathetic, cynical, introvert became a gentle, hopeful, tentative being. This thrilled Esme beyond belief. Alice became a bundle of happiness (I appreciated this greatly—I am more sensitive to her emotions than anyone, and I always welcome her happiness, for more than one reason). The emotional climate of our home took a giant leap towards the positive side, even factoring in Rosalie's negativity on the subject.

I began to see how Bella really was good for this family. I warmed to her presence. However, it wasn't until after that fateful birthday party and the months after, when she rescued my brother and restored my family that I began to change my focus from her presence to simply _her._ I started realizing that she was not just a dispensable human that entertained my wife and my brother, but a unique woman who had many facets—she loved passionately, was fiercely loyal, always honorable, and totally truthful. She was relatively intelligent for a human and thought deeper than I gave her credit for. She was more complex than I ever imagined.

Sadly, even though I began to love this sweet little sister of mine, I never felt at liberty to really show her. Although her birthday party was a fading memory to the rest of the family, it was a day that I would never forget. It was another bold thread that would change my makeup forever. I could not forget it anymore than I could forget the day I met the Cullens or the day I decided to abstain from human blood.

Therefore, I had to show Bella love in more obscure ways. One of the few gifts I could safely give her were feelings of love, acceptance, and confidence, all feelings that I knew she desperately needed. I also made it a point to tone Rosalie's emotions down on the rare occasions that they started to take an annoyed turn. Even though Rosalie had stopped being as hostile to Bella after the Volterra incident, her natural tendency to be self-absorbed and self-righteous could not be changed. The rest of us did not take it personally, but I knew Bella was still insecure around Rosalie.

Then there was the day when we realized that an entire army of newborns had been created with the sole purpose of exterminating my little sister. Bella foolishly felt relief at this, and that was undoubtedly the most out-of-place and inappropriate feeling I felt from our family. The others' feelings of anger, outrage, and fierce protectiveness more suitably mirrored my own. The relief only came as we partnered with the wolves and knew that we would be successful in protecting our newest member. I threw myself into training the family and the wolves, another act of service to replace my nonexistent hugs.

I did what I could, but it never felt enough. This is why I could not wait for her to be changed.

I could not wait to give her a hug like Alice did. I wanted to comfort her when she made the inevitable "newborn slips." I wanted to play baseball with her and cheer her on when she could finally walk across a flat, stable surface and _not_ stumble. I wanted to finally be myself around her like I was with the rest of the family. I would not be able to truly be her brother until she was changed.

I knew the transformation would be soon, in the next few days. Carlisle, Edward, and I had been talking about it, discussing all options, looking at it from as many angles as possible. Emmett and I had been pouring over books, articles, and Internet pages literally around the clock, looking for any information or clues to help with the delivery and transformation of Bella. Thoroughness was a life or death matter in this situation. The baby would be here one way or another within the week, and there was virtually no chance of Bella surviving the delivery. This would probably be the most prepared for, well thought out transformation in our history. I just prayed it would be enough.


	2. Chapter 2

**I forgot to thank nightdancers for her very helpful and supportive advice on this story. If you haven't checked out her stories, do it after you read this! :-) Start with Seeing the Unknown, it's awesome!**

**Still don't own Twilight, that's why I am getting my fix on fanfic. :-)**

Chapter 2

I sighed internally. Of course I was not physically tired, but I was very emotionally tired, which is a common thing for me during stressful situations. Not only did I have to deal with my own frustration, but the waves coming off of Carlisle and Emmett as well. We had spent the last two weeks in Carlisle's study pouring over his vast library of books on vampire folklore and medical journals looking for any clues as to what this thing was that Bella was carrying. We were also hoping to find ideas of what to expect during labor, delivery, and afterwards. Unfortunately, we were coming up empty. The frustration was now laced with anxiety and fear, as Bella's due date was only a few days away.

Many things were troubling me. First and foremost, how were we to deliver this…baby? Carlisle was not an obstetrician, but he was an accomplished surgeon. Cesarean section seemed a much safer route than attempting a natural delivery. We didn't even know if Bella would go into traditional labor, allowing her body to make the natural adjustments for a birth. Therefore, we were all leaning toward something pre-emptive, a scheduled C-section.

Which led to another question…how do we get the baby out? While a traditional scalpel would cut Bella's skin and uterus, since we could not penetrate the amniotic sac with either an ultrasound image (literally) or needle (hypothetically, since Rosalie seethed in anger at the mere mention of trying it), we were assuming the scalpel would not be enough to cut the amniotic sac around the baby. We were fairly certain vampire teeth were the only thing that would.

This disturbing thought led us down another path—painkillers for Bella. While no one expected her to attempt this surgery without them, Carlisle was not certain about the safest kind to give her. A traditional epidural seemed like a good option, and Carlisle felt certain he could administer one safely. However, they also wanted to have morphine on hand for the transformation. Edward was adamant about minimizing as much of the pain as possible.

Which led to the transformation…another source of anxiety. Ironic, how just a few weeks prior, Bella's transformation was the most stressful event of this chapter of our existence. Edward and Carlisle discussed it endlessly. Carlisle was very patient with Edward and took his fears seriously, but the rest of us were getting slightly impatient with Edward's worries. We'd all went through the horrible experience, and while we were sympathetic to Bella's pain, we knew it was one of the prices she was going to have to pay to become immortal.

Now, however, the transformation seemed almost anticlimactic, mostly because we knew what to expect. It was going to be horrible, but at least it was something we knew about. Real fear didn't exist until we were faced with this pregnancy, something we could not predict. It is difficult to plan for something when you have no idea how it will turn out.

All of this frustration was not helped by our growing thirst. None of us had hunted since before Bella returned. After Bella and Edward left on their honeymoon, we spent a few days returning the house to normal, making sure Charlie, Renee, and Phil got situated back into their lives, and then we went on a long , three day hunt. It was nice to be together—it felt like we were all happy. We were happy for Bella and Edward and knew that shortly, we would be welcoming Bella into our family in the final way, when she became immortal. So our hunting trip was a nice "calm before the storm" to prepare for Bella's transformation. Yes, we had expected a storm, but not a Category 5 Hurricane, complete with tornadoes and floods. That's exactly what this pregnancy seemed like- one thing after another that we did not expect.

Our thirst was not helping anything. Not to mention it was just plain dangerous for me, being this thirsty, knowing Bella was downstairs…knowing that she had switched to a diet of blood—human blood.

I quickly stopped that train of thought and re-read again the medical articles about C-sections. While I had not gone to medical school like Carlisle, Edward, and Rosalie, I did have more knowledge of medicine than most humans. I would have liked to have gone to medical school once if it weren't for the blood—human blood….

Enough with the medical journals. I switched on the computer, intending to continue my saved search on localized myths near Isle Esme, when I caught the end of Carlisle's statement's to Emmett. "Jacob is here. He should be able to clear us to go hunting and searching for supplies." While this was good news, Carlisle walked from his office slowly, his heavy feet a symbol of his heavy heart.

"Carlisle," I heard Jacob say, "We went halfway to Seattle. There's no sign of the pack. You're good to go."

Emmett and I looked at each other, and a small grin broke out on both of our faces. We shut down the computers and replaced the books that we were studying. I heard Jacob's next statement and felt no deception coming from him. "Honestly, I think you're safe to take more than three. I'm pretty positive that Sam is concentrating on La Push." While I hated trusting this boy who was my natural enemy, strategically I knew he would have the best knowledge of the pack's behaviors and motivations. The idea of us going in a larger group made me more comfortable, even if that left less behind to guard Bella. I knew Jacob would not put Bella in danger.

Carlisle's voice was clear from downstairs. "If you think so. Alice, Esme, Jasper, and I will go. Then Alice can take Emmett and Rosa-" I saw Emmett grimace about having to wait until the next party—I knew he was thirsty, too, and he like to challenge me when we were hunting. The competition would be a nice stress reliever, and we were willing to indulge it since we needed to hunt anyway.

Emmett perked up immediately when Rosalie refused to go hunting without Edward, insisting that Emmett went with our group. While Emmett and Rosalie's bond was as strong as always, I know Rosalie's constant physical proximity to Bella was only adding to Emmett's frustration. He needed this hunting trip as badly as I did.

Emmett and I ran down the stairs quickly and met Alice and Esme at the back door. I saw Emmett try to catch Rosalie's eye with a wink, but she was glaring at Jacob and Edward and didn't notice. I felt waves of tension roll off of her, and I knew her thirst was as bad as ours. Emmett threw her a smile and prepared himself to leave, his mind already on the hunt. Finally, as soon as Carlisle was finished thanking Jacob, he joined us, and the five of us left and flitted across the lawn toward the trees.

As we ran for the trees, I could feel the others' stress slightly fade and be replaced by excitement. We ran for a few moments, just for the joy of running. Eventually, I felt, rather than saw, Alice searching the future. The familiar sense brought her feelings of security that she had been sorely missing the past few weeks. The issue of the baby disrupting her visions was unsettling and annoying to my Alice. I knew she felt better away from the house, where she could "see" again. "About 20 miles southeast of here, in the Olympic Park, is a concentration of animals—they will serve our purpose well," she said, with a sly smile to Emmett and me. "It's on the way to our medical facility that we will be visiting for supplies, so we will not lose any time." We slightly changed course to head southeast, reveling in the freedom we felt from running.

What felt like just a few moments later, we caught the faint scents of multiple species of animals. Emmett caught the carnivorous smell and somehow managed to run a little faster. I sensed the challenge in the run, and I knew his brute strength was going to give him an advantage later on, so I sped ahead of him, determined he was _not_ going to get the biggest animal.

Half an hour later, we were resting in a sunny meadow, deliberating our next move. "I will need to visit the blood bank in Seattle first since they already have my credentials certified. Hopefully we will be able to secure enough blood to cover any complications for Bella and for the baby." It was hard for us to remember that we would be having a baby to take care of after this was all over. We did not know if that baby would be mostly vampire or mostly human. Would it look like a human baby? Act like a human baby? These were some of the questions we were discussing as we were planning our next move. Alice started thinking of other shopping that could be done to prepare for many different outcomes.

We headed to Seattle, taking the ferry instead of swimming, as Carlisle did not want to make professional transactions while wet from swimming. We also decided to take the time to rent a car because Carlisle was hoping to stock up on other medical supplies as well—just in case. After picking up the car, we drove to the blood bank in downtown Seattle.

While Carlisle dealt with the blood aspect, the rest of us walked across the street to the department store to stock up on other miscellaneous supplies. Our cart contained various nonperishable foods, toiletries, and household items. Alice begrudgingly put some comfortable clothing for Bella in the cart in various sizes. While the "secret cottage" closet was stocked with designer clothing lovingly picked out for Bella, Alice was aware that Bella may need some sensible clothes for the next few days until the baby was born, and then possibly after.

The emotions from the women suddenly became conflicted as we rounded the corner in the back of the store. At first, I could not understand what was causing the angst, anger, excitement, melancholy, and hope that I felt coming in waves from Esme and Alice. I soon understood as I saw the small outfits, pastel furnishings, and brightly colored toys that adorned the baby section. I could tell that Alice was excited over a new member to shop for, and Esme was getting sentimental at the thought of being a grandmother, but they were both tentative in their feelings. We were all uncertain as to the outcome of this pregnancy. Not only were we unsure if Bella would survive, but we did not know if the baby would survive or what condition it would be in.

The complexity of the feelings around me was starting to make me feel out of control, which is not a safe way to feel in a store surrounded by humans. "You might as well go ahead and prepare for any eventuality for the baby, as well. Let's be discrete about these purchases. We'll try to conceal them from Bella and Rosalie, just in case…" I did not finish my sentence, but the others understood. Esme and Alice took a few uncertain steps into the infant section, and then with smiles on their face, began throwing items in the shopping cart, barely maintaining a human speed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Alice both looked and felt more relaxed than she'd been since Bella and Edward returned from their honeymoon. Her vision was back (as long as she concentrated on the five of us) and she had just experienced retail therapy (albeit, discount retail therapy). Emmett was beginning to look extremely bored, which was never a good sign. Very soon, I would start receiving ornery feelings from Emmett if we didn't leave soon.

After paying for our three shopping carts full of merchandise, we headed to the rental car. Carlisle was already there, loading discrete looking coolers into the trunk. He glanced up and saw us approaching with dozens of bags each and I heard him sigh quietly and smile indulgently. I felt a sense of unease and anxiety coming from him.

"I was not able to get as much O negative blood as I had hoped," he explained. "While I believe we do have enough, I really want to have a surplus on hand. There are other options I can explore, but it will take time for those organizations to check and certify my credentials. I believe Bella may be running out of blood soon, and I want to get what we have here back to her before that happens…" he trailed off.

Alice gazed unseeingly into the distance. After a moment, with a small smile, she said, "Jasper and I will run it back. You and Esme can continue to collect more blood while Emmett finishes shopping for your additional medical supplies. You can follow us home in the car. I don't see any problems with us splitting up. However," she grumbled, "I don't see anything at all after Jasper and I arrive at the house." The end of her statement sounded annoyed, and I knew that the baby and the werewolves were contributing to that blank vision.

Carlisle relaxed at Alice's plan and certainty of the immediate future. He smiled, "Thank you Alice, Jasper. That would be an enormous relief to me. I know Edward has enough medical knowledge to take care of her in my absence, but we will hurry home in any rate. Be safe, you two." Alice hugged Esme, I nodded to Carlisle and Emmett, and we removed the coolers from the trunk and were gone in an instant, unseen by any human eyes.

On the run home, Alice and I were able to talk privately for the first time in a while. We talked about everything except Bella, Edward, and the drama that was unfolding at the house. We reminisced about our wedding, a vacation we took to Florida once during a hurricane (we didn't need to worry about getting hurt, and it was great cloud coverage), and a new trend in men's clothes that Alice knew would be coming next year. It was light banter, comforting, and it felt good to connect again.

Before we knew it, we began to pick up our scents from the trip over to Seattle, and we followed our scents home. The closer we got to the house, the deeper the frown on Alice's face grew. I felt physical pain coming from Alice in small amounts. When I asked her about it, she replied, "It really is odd, Jazz. I am getting a literal headache from Bella and this hybrid baby. Jake must not be around." I smiled a small, sympathetic smile and send waves of love and peacefulness her way. She smiled back and sent me a feeling of gratefulness back. I knew she was grateful for more than just my emotional gifts I gave her, but for all we meant to each other.

Finally the house came into view and Alice said, "You take one cooler into Edward, and I'll put the others into the storage freezer in the garage." I nodded and headed for the house.

I went in the back door, everything looking similar to how we left it. However, the tension and anger was so thick, a human would've noticed. Needless to say, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

"What happened?" I growled to Rosalie. I was shocked Edward has left Bella's side. Bella was asleep on the couch, and Rosalie was standing perfectly still beside her like a guard on duty. A very irate, infuriated guard.

"I thought there wasn't anyone I despised more than Jacob Black," she seethed. "I was wrong. Leah Clearwater is going to pay for what she did. If her temper tantrum upset Bella enough to affect the baby—"

I started sending calming waves quickly at Rosalie as soon as I understood that there was no immediate threat. I interrupted her, "Leah threw a temper tantrum?"

"Yes. That…trash…walked in here in her stained up clothes and nasty hair and stormed over to where Bella was laying down and yelled at Bella. I don't disagree with the fact that Bella and Jacob Black's relationship is unnatural and unhealthy, and I would like for it to be over as much as anybody, but to yell at a pregnant woman!" Rosalie sniffed delicately. "Edward was much too gentle with her. I would've physically thrown that witch out of this house. Bella immediately started crying and blamed herself. She cried herself to sleep with her head in Edward's lap. Edward is out waiting for_ Mr. Alpha_ to return and control his pack."

I had heard Alice's entrance into the room during Rosalie's rant, and it was Alice who spoke up next. "Jacob left?"

Rosalie sighed. "You've missed a lot since you've been gone."

Alice snorted,"Figures. I _hate_ being blind. I am used to knowing everything that went on here when we were gone."

Rosalie looked disgusted. "Be thankful you were not witnessing the drama first hand. Although," she mused, as her face softened," there was one good thing that happened. Edward heard the baby's thoughts."

"What? Really? What did he hear?" This time, it was me that was interjecting questions.

Rosalie smiled. "The baby adores Bella. He recognizes her voice, and Edwards. I think he understands mine as well," she continued smugly. "The baby loves us all. When Edward realized that the baby's thoughts were so full of love…"she trailed off softly. "Well, he finally sees what we've been telling him all along. This baby is a member of our family," she finished with finality.

Alice and I were speechless. We _had_ missed a lot.

"Why did Jacob leave," Alice asked.

Rosalie's face hardened. "Well, he still hates the baby. He sees it as a monster, a murderer, and he does not understand why we are protecting it and loving it." Her voice was full of disgust. "As if anyone asked his opinion. Anyway, he stormed out of here, and things sure have been quieter today without him."

All three of us noticed Bella's breathing and heart rate changing, announcing that she was waking up.

"Edward," she whispered, her eyes blinking, looking confused.

Rosalie knelt down beside her and smiled. "He went outside for a moment. How are you feeling?" Rosalie gently brushed Bella's hair away from her face and looked at her with a concerned expression. I was slightly surprised at the intensity of the feelings coming from Rosalie. There was none of the malice or anger that usually accompanied her interactions with Bella. Rosalie felt protectiveness, compassion, and concern. However, the emotion that surprised me the most was…admiration. She truly admired Bella for the hard choices she was making. Rosalie was beginning to see that there was more to our fragile, clumsy Bella than meets the eye.

Bella responded to her question with a rueful smile. "Hungry…er…._Thirsty." _The word seemed out of place coming from her lips, but we all knew it would be more common, very soon.

"I'll get your cup filled," Rosalie replied. The tension rolling off her of made me snap my head quickly, looking into her dark black eyes. She was so very thirsty.

"Alice, why don't you fill Bella's cup," I suggested. Alice understood in a moment and flitted out of the room quickly.

Rosalie threw me a grateful smile. "Rosalie, you should go hunt, even if it's just whatever wildlife you can find in the woods behind the house," I suggested in quick whisper, even though I knew a quick "snack" would not even begin to quench the burn in her throat.

Rosalie's eyes hardened and flicked quickly to Bella. "I will not leave her," she quietly vowed. Bella missed the exchange. I let the subject drop, as Rosalie had been as flawless in her vampire life as Carlisle. She had never slipped, or even come close. She was the last one to worry about in the house.

I was a different story altogether. We could hear Alice fixing Bella's cup, and I knew I needed to be far away when Bella was drinking. There was too much at stake for me to risk bloodlust over a cup of cold human blood. While it was not nearly as tempting as warm, flowing blood, and while I had just fed, there was no reason to tempt fate, not with the stakes this high. I quickly retreated to Carlisle's study to continue the searching that I had abandoned yesterday.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I found it very ironic, the situation we were in. It was a unique melting of scientific principles and mythological tales. Emmett, Carlisle, and I had exhausted all of the medical journals in Carlisle's vast library and most of what was on the Internet, as well. We actually had better luck finding clues in the vast labyrinth of connected websites devoted to vampire folklore, especially in South America. On a whim, I joined several chat rooms and message boards on the subject. While most of the members were teenagers wanting to dabble in a dark world, there were a few posters who had a healthy respect for the myths and stories of the natives. Those were the people I wanted to talk to.

I was posting some questions in one of the forums under the guise of a Spanish college student researching indigenous legends for a research project when I heard the Aston Martin turn into the driveway. Even though the smooth engine was impossible to confuse, I was beyond shocked that Edward had allowed him to drive it. I would have to ask Edward about that later.

I heard the engine shut off once Jacob had pulled into the garage, and Edward started speaking before Jacob even got out of the car. "A few things, Jacob," he requested. I could only imagine how Edward was controlling his fury.

Jacob got out of the car and thanked Edward for the car, although his voice was laced with anger, sarcasm, but most of all, pain. "What do you want _now_?"

I listened at Edward explained what happened this afternoon with Leah. I could tell Jacob was surprised at Leah's intense reaction and saddened by how it hurt Bella. Even though they were too far away for me to get a good read on their emotions, the peace in Edward's voice was evident. He was still nervous about Bella's physical condition, but in "talking" to the baby, he really felt like things might turn out favorably. I heard him tell Jacob about the baby's advanced mental capabilities, as well as his theory that it was now safe to deliver the baby.

I heard Jacob's pained whisper. "You think she's going to make it." My dead heart almost broke for Jacob in that moment. I could hear the desire to hope in that statement, as well as the hesitancy to believe. Jacob was scared to get his hopes up.

Jacob asked when Carlisle would be home to deliver the baby, and I heard Edward's reply, "By noon tomorrow. " The pause that followed carried Jacob's pain. This was harder for him than most of us realized. Edward was probably the only one of us that had a real clue as to Jacob's torment. I was very proud of my brother's words that followed. "I'm sorry. I am truly sorry for the pain this causes you, Jacob. Though you hate me, I must admit that I don't feel the same about you. I think of you as a…a brother in many ways." I was almost too shocked at that confession to listen to the rest. I heard him continue by confirming again his belief that Bella was going to survive, "and I know that's what really matters to you," my brother finished.

Jacob was very quiet as Edward switched topics to the tender subject of the treaty in relation to Bella's conversion. The circumstances of this situation were something that Ephraim Black could not have fathomed when he made the treaty prohibiting us from biting a human. A vampire bite was Bella's only hope. Not even the werewolves could save her now. However, Jacob was able to offer us immunity, an exception due to the unique circumstances, as Ephraim's heir.

Edward finished the one-sided conversation without a resolution, and the two of them headed toward the house. After a brief discussion with Seth, they went inside to check on Bella. As they came inside, I was able to gauge their emotions with my gift, and I realized that I felt more comfortable that way. I had unknowingly been tense during the conversation, anticipating a confrontation where I may have been needed as a calming presence. I realized I was listening to them, distracted from my research. Having the two of them in a closer proximity made my gift applicable, and I felt more comfortable tuning out the conversation and simply sampling the mood. I returned to my research.

During the conversation, someone had replied to one of my posted threads. I clicked on the link that had appeared in the fake email inbox I had created especially for this research. A new screen popped up, and I read the response:

_You have chosen a unique and interesting topic for your research project. I am a professor at a Rio De Janerio State College. You may quote any of my information in your research paper._

_As for your questions about myths and legends concerning male vampires siring an offspring with a human female, I am afraid there isn't much I can share with you. The nature of the fabled vampires of the area would not be conducive to relations with a human. The brute strength and blood lust they would exhibit would be fatal before sexual relations could conclude. _

_However, there are some very far-fetched tales about rare situations where this did occur. The human mother would carry the offspring to full term. However, the nature of this type of childbirth is beyond violent and disturbing. The mother would never survive, usually as a result of the vampire-hybrid smelling her blood and instinctually feeding on her during or after the birthing process._

I stopped reading the post there, disgusted and horrified at what I was reading. If anyone were able to understand and empathize with the situation, it would be me. Resisting the lure of human blood was something I battled daily. However, drinking one's mother's blood seemed even more monstrous than anything I'd encountered in this life.

It was as I pondered this that the noises below caught my attention. I heard Bella get up of the couch for what I assumed was another bathroom break. She and Rosalie bantered good-naturedly about Bella's large stomach. The soft "whoosh" sound that followed was something being dropped. It must have been Bella, for it could not have being either of my siblings or Jacob.

Immediately, I felt Bella's panic. Before I had time to contemplate this, another sound came from the downstairs. A…tearing sound? It was clear to my vampire ears, but it was nothing I had ever heard before. I heard Bella faint, and then felt Rosalie, Edward, and Jacob start to panic at the same time I heard Bella scream.

I froze a split second after the scream, because what hit me next was worse than all of those emotions and sounds before. It was the smell of warm human blood.

I held my breath, and before I could think of anything else, I threw myself out of the window.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I landed softly on the lawn outside the study's window, but I did not pause to think. I did not turn around to look at the house. In some corner of my mind, I heard Rosalie and Edward shouting and running upstairs to the room that I had just left. I heard Alice's name, and I knew that she would stay and help Bella.

Still holding my breath, I ran. I did not know where I was going, but I knew I needed to be far away from here. I ran until I was sure that I would not be able to smell even a hint of Bella's blood. I paused when I thought I was a safe distance away, closed my eyes, and tentatively took a breath. I smelled the rich, woody scent of the trees, the fragrances of the wildlife, and damp air of the coming rain. No human blood. I briefly felt relief, followed by pride. I did it. I was able to leave without hurting Bella.

Then, I felt sadness. I had to leave, there was no other choice. However, I wished I could have been stronger. Strong enough to stay. I wished I could have stayed and calmed Edward and Rosalie, taken away some of Bella's pain. I don't know what caused the ripping sound I heard or the flowing blood I smelled, but considering the gruesome stories I had just read on the vampire birthing process, my vampire mind was able to conjure up some very painful pictures.

I sat down at the trunk of a tree, more out of habit than necessity, and thought about what I could do to help Bella. My emotional gift would not carry across the miles to the house. I was not strong enough to help her. I was so weak.

I lifted my eyes to the sky, begging God to save her. I was not as spiritual as Carlisle or as philosophical as Edward, but being a good Southern boy I was raised in the Church. I had a vague notion of God, and while I was not convinced that He was the God of the vampire world, I knew that He must love and be concerned with human Bella. So, broken and desperate for my little sister, I prayed to a foreign, distant God, that He would save her.

Endless moments later, I sensed her approach. Her scent carried on the wind and reached me just slightly before the sound of her running. I yearned for her more desperately than usual. She knew I needed her even before I did.

She slowed as she neared me and stopped right beside me, slipping her hand into mine. I felt her fatigue, alertness, and hopefulness. "How's Bella?" I asked her, my voice raspy.

Alice replied simply, "Becoming one of us." Her eyes unfocused from my face as she searched the future. "Everything is going to go smoothly. She is starting to become clearer to me now that the baby isn't confusing my vision."

The reminder of the baby prompted my next question. "The baby…is he…okay?"

Alice smiled. "She is beautiful and healthy. She is a miracle. Renesemee"

Amazing. A girl. I had a niece. As I marveled and adjusted to the fact of being an uncle, Alice filled me in on the drama surrounding…Renesemee's…birth. I was horrified at what Edward and Jacob had gone through. I felt a surge of respect and admiration for both men. Edward was able to accomplish something of which I thought Carlisle was only capable. Jacob showed his true character, his deep love and commitment to Bella, during those tense moments when he aided in her transformation.

Also, I was shocked at Rosalie's lack of control. Perfect Rosalie, who's vampire record was spotless. Her stubbornness and pride had cost Bella during the crucial moments. What a blessing Jacob was there to take Rosalie's rightful place. I thought back to my frantic pleading with God and chuckled at the irony of a werewolf being the answer to a bloodthirsty vampire's prayer.

I explained to Alice the complexity of the emotions that she felt coming from me. When I got to the part about feeling sad and helpless, Alice giggled her light, tinkling laugh that I loved. I looked at her questioningly, and she replied, "You are going to be the one person that will be able to help Bella the most now. Remember, she is a newborn vampire. She will have unquenchable thirst and uncontrollable emotions. While her future is still a little blurry, I am getting many visions of you and Bella together in the coming months. I think you are going to be a large part of her initiation into the vampire lifestyle."

I looked into Alice's eyes and the gratitude, admiration, and love flowed from me without any intentional trying on my part. There were no words to describe my feelings for her. Luckily, with my gift, I would not have to put inadequate words on these power emotions.

"I cleaned the blood throughout the house and cleaned and dressed Bella before I left. I wanted to eliminate as much of the burn as possible for you, although there is no flowing blood now," Alice continued. "You are needed at home, and we should return as soon as possible, to help Rose…and Jacob…"

My confusion reached her before it registered on my face. "Why do I need to help Rose? I imagine Jacob is dealing with a lot of anger and betrayal, but I would've expected him to storm out of the house and phase as soon as Bella was stable."

Alice sighed, although she did not look upset, just perplexed. "Things have gotten a bit complicated. It seems that we are starting to understand the pull that Bella and Jacob felt for each other during the pregnancy. As it turns out, the pull was not between Bella and Jacob, but Renesemee and Jacob," Alice explained.

"A bond between the baby and Jacob? Are you suggesting that the baby is Jacob's?" I asked half-jokingly. While I knew there was no way that was possible, it would be scientifically easier to explain than a vampire-human hybrid.

Alice laughed, "NO!" Then, she got more serious. "The baby is a perfect mixture of Bella and Edward. No, it's more…mystical. It appears that our friendly neighborhood stray dog has…imprinted…on our niece."

Shock. That is all Alice could've felt coming from me. I stared at her for at least five seconds, and then my mouth started opening and closing, although I could not make any words come out. I closed my mouth and stared at her some more, trying to wrap my vampire mind around this impossibility.

"Imagine, if this is how _you_ feel, what the emotional climate is in the house right now," Alice explained.

"What's Edward's take on it?" I was almost afraid to ask.

Alice became thoughtful, "Actually, he does not seem to care either way. He is scared…petrified, worried about Bella. Bella is completely quiet, still unconscious. We can hear her heart beat changing, so we know the transformation is taking place. But Edward is not able to leave her side, afraid something is going wrong, and he is going to lose her. I keep trying to comfort him, showing him that I do not see that happening, but he doesn't believe my visions. They are still a bit cloudy, but becoming clearer every moment." At that statement, her eyes glazed over for a moment, and she smiled. "Yes, becoming clearer every moment."

I stood and touched my forehead to hers. "Well, it sounds like we are both needed at home. Let's go."


	6. Chapter 6

Little Sister, Chapter 6

The run home seemed to go much faster than when I was running away from the burning scent of Bella's flowing blood. As we neared the house, I began using my senses to gauge the situation. My sense of smell, first. I could not smell any blood, just the unappealing scent of bleach with a remembrance of blood underneath. This fact calmed me immediately.

I could hear Bella's labored breathing and heartbeat loudest of all, even though she was upstairs. It seemed uneven and forced, but strong. After those sounds, I recognized Jacob's heartbeat and an unfamiliar sound that I instinctively knew to be something of Renesmee's. I turned to Alice, and sensing my question, she replied, "Her heartbeat." It was too fast, not as much a beat as a vibration. Finally, I heard a soft, continual growl that I immediately recognized as Rosalie's.

As we entered the door, I expected to feel Rosalie's furious emotions first, as they would be the most powerful. However, I was wrong, and I was not prepared for that first wave that hit me. It literally stopped me in my tracks and made me catch my breath. It was a glowing…certainty. A million tiny emotions that reminded me of what Esme felt when she looked as us children, what Edward felt as he watched Bella sleep, what I felt when I saw Alice after she returned from Italy. Not exactly love, but more…certainty. I was searching my vampire brain to come up with words to describe the feelings when my eyes rested on Jacob, staring at Rosalie. For a split second, I was confused, knowing how, just a few hours earlier all Jacob felt for Rosalie was annoyance and even hatred. Then, when Rosalie turned to acknowledge our entrance, I saw the bundle in her arms, and it all made sense.

So this is what imprinting felt like.

I heard a faint sigh from upstairs and barely registered it as Edward's response to my thought.

Then, I felt the anger from Rosalie, mixed with adoration that I knew was directed at the baby. I felt waves of despair coming from Edward, and then…

I heard Alice gasp, and I turned to her immediately, and barely had time to recognize the far-away look to her eyes when the waves of pain hit me. Not physical pain, but a pain of incomprehension, confusion, darkness…I knew what I was feeling was a manifestation of what Bella was going through upstairs. I found myself thanking whatever unforeseen force was responsible for my power that I could not feel other's physical pain, because I've already felt the burn of transformation once, and I did not want to relive it again. I quickly blocked my thoughts by thinking of Jacob's unique emotions, but I am sure I did not do it fast enough to spare Edward.

"Sorry, Jasper," Alice whispered as I got my emotions under control. "I did not foresee you experiencing Bella's pain until right before it happened. I was not watching your future carefully; I have been focused on Bella. I am sorry," she repeated, and then quickly added, "I am sure what you are feeling is what is going on in Bella's subconscious. I am certain she is not feeling any of the pain." I tried not to register my doubt at her statement.

I gave her a tight smile. "You did warn me about the emotional climate here. These have to be the most concentrated, strongest emotions I have ever felt in my existence." I knew she was aware that I was not exaggerating that statement.

She smiled back. "Would you like to meet your niece?" I glanced up at Rosalie and she looked at me questioningly, but I felt waves of uncertainty and suspicion coming off of her. Jacob looked like he wanted to grab the baby and run, but common sense held him in place. I wondered if perhaps it would be better for me to meet her later, much later…

"You won't hurt her Jasper," Alice responded with a smile in her voice, and I knew the statement was to reassure everyone in the room.

I slowly took a few tentative steps toward Renesmee, gauging both my reaction and the others' with each step. I heard a whisper from upstairs, "Kiss her for me," and that was all of the encouragement that I needed to cross those last few feet and stand inches from my sister, staring into the face of an angel.

I looked down and saw exactly what Alice had described-a perfect mixture of Bella and Edward. The curls…beautiful lips…a slight blush under her skin. She smelled sweet, but her blood was not appealing. It brought to mind the food-scented air fresheners that humans were so fond of. I never understood how, if they smelled like food, the humans did not want to eat them. However, I imagined it was much like smelling Renesmee. Good, but with no appeal. I smiled down at her sleeping form, and slowly I leaned down and rested my lips gently on her forehead. "From your daddy," I whispered.

I felt jealousy coming at me from Jacob, and I realized with a start that he wanted to hold her. I heard a growl from upstairs, but I could tell that Edward's heart wasn't in it. I looked Jacob in the eyes, and his eyes met mine without flinching. I sighed, knowing that since I was able to empathize with him, that I was going to end up being a supporter of his in this untraditional battle. I knew deep down, there was also a feeling of gratitude toward him for him helping Bella when I was unable. I owed it to him.

Another sigh from upstairs.

I thought maybe it would be easier for Rosalie to give me the baby instead of Jacob. "Can I hold her?" I asked Rosalie. She hesitated for a minute, and then she handed me the baby.

I looked down at her and, for a few moments, had no intention of ever letting anyone else hold her. She was a miracle, incomprehensible. She was ours…not an adopted member of our family, like the rest, but a biological member, created in a moment of love. My throat tightened and my eyes burned for an eternal moment. Suddenly, everything made sense. Everything our family had went through in the past century led to this conclusion. Even the past couple of years, all of the drama with Bella—James, Victoria, the ill-fated birthday party…it was all worth it, to arrive here, to make her.

Certain also that my emotions were being affected my Jacob's weird perspective, I realized that everyone else was feeling what I was experiencing, as I was unintentionally sending it off in strong waves. I self-consciously cleared my throat as I looked at the amused smiles around the room. I decided to repay my debt to Jacob by sending Rosalie waves of compassion, love, and (for good measure) lethargy. As soon as I had bombarded her with unexpected emotions, I caught Jacob's eye and passed the baby to him. His breath hitched as those feelings I experienced when I walked in the room were back-only much more concentrated. I purposefully reflected those into the room (and upstairs) to squelch any negative reaction to Jacob's presence.

Now that Jacob and I were even, I decided I needed to talk to Edward. I also decided I needed a break from all of these emotions from downstairs, as I would need to keep my sanity. I squeezed Alice's hand and left her to act as referee between Jacob and Rosalie and I ran up the steps to Carlisle's study.

The room had changed dramatically since I had jumped out of the window a few hours ago. When I was using it to do research, it looked more like a library, with books everywhere. The only thing out of place was the medical equipment pushed into the corner. Now, Carlisle's large desk was pushed into the opposite corner, and in the middle of the room was a large operating table. On that operating table was my little sister. I clung to the sound of her heartbeat, because with as still as she was lying, she looked like a corpse. I saw Edward standing beside her cringe at my thought, and I went over to stand beside him. He was perfectly still at her side, not shifting his weight or moving in any way, other than to breathe. I tried to decide what emotion to send his way to help, and I finally settled on a burst of encouragement.

"Thanks," he said, but there was no smile in his voice, no change in his inflection. I tried to catch his eye, but his gaze never left Bella's immobile face.

"How long have you been here?" I asked him. He finally looked at me with a confused look on his face, and I realized that he had not left since he delivered the baby and began Bella's transformation.

"Alice brought me a change of clothes and helped clean me up when she cleaned up Bella and the room," he explained, as I realized that he, too, was clean of Bella's blood. My wife was nothing if not thorough.

"Have you seen your daughter yet?" I asked him. That was the first question that drew an emotional response from him. I felt his longing, mixed with some guilt. He looked at me with haunted eyes.

"I have seen her and watched her through everyone's thoughts. I want to hold her…but…I can't leave her," he said, looking back at Bella.

"We can bring Renesmee to you," I replied.

"Bella…if she wakes up…we can't have the baby in here," Edward replied, with a torn expression on his face.

"There will be enough of us here to keep your baby safe. Besides, we'll get a warning before Bella wakes up. She won't take us by surprise."

He looked at me and didn't argue, which I took as a good sign. My siblings must have, as well, because I heard footsteps on the stairs. I heard them stop outside of the doorway, and then I sensed Rosalie's uncertainty at the edge of the room. I turned and saw her, and I suddenly had a respect for her that I had not felt in a while. She looked down at Renesmee, and I felt a longing coming from her. I glanced up at Edward, and saw his gaze go from Bella's face to the baby in Rosalie's arms. I knew it was a pivotal moment for them both.

The longing coming from Rosalie was not hard to decipher. She wished this baby was hers. I know that at one point in the pregnancy, she would have been happy if Bella had not survived this pregnancy, because that would have also meant the demise of Edward. This would have left Rosalie wide open to be the baby's mother, Rosalie's lifelong dream. However, during the pregnancy, she and Bella had bonded. I felt the change, and I knew that Rosalie no longer hoped for Bella's death. However, having her dream so close to coming true was beginning to be too much for Rosalie.

Edward suddenly had eyes only for his daughter. He walked confidentially to Rosalie, but, instead of snatching the baby to his chest as I expected, he softly placed a kiss on Rosalie's forehead. "Thank you," he whispered. He must have read something in her thoughts that the rest of us missed. "And thank you for taking such good care of her. She will have a bond with you that will be second only to the one with us," he said, and then shot an amused glance at Jacob, who glowered at him. Gently, he took Renesmee from Rosalie's arms, gave Rose another smile, and turned his back to us, enjoying a private moment with his daughter. Sensing nothing alarming coming from anyone in the room, and no change in Bella's emotions, I ushered everyone out of the room. "Let's wait outside." We only moved a few inches out of the doorway, far enough to give them some privacy, but close enough to intercede at a moment's notice.

I smiled as I felt the contentment and wonder coming from Edward and listened as he hummed Bella's Lullaby to his baby girl.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The shadows lengthened and eventually the house was in darkness. The only reason I realized this was because Jacob turned a lamp on. His eyes were much clearer than a normal human's, and they were nearly as clear as ours when he was in his wolf form. In his human form, however, he sometimes felt more comfortable with a light on.

Eventually, we all relaxed at the new situation, Edward rocking Renesmee as she slept, and slowly wondered away to take care of various pursuits. Jacob was surprisingly the first one to leave. Apparently, the Alpha instinct was almost as strong as the imprinting instinct. I felt wisps of concern and protectiveness coming from him, growing stronger with each passing second. He turned to Alice and me and said, "I am going to go check on Seth and Leah, and then I might sleep for a few minutes, while Renesmee is sleeping." I heard a hiss coming from Rosalie across the hallway, where she was standing against the wall, but I chose to ignore it. I nodded to Jacob, and as he left, I felt Alice tense up. Her headache would return, especially as we were so close to Renesmee.

Seeing Jacob leave, Rosalie took the opportunity to retreat to her room, no doubt to change her clothes and get ready for Emmett to come home. Thinking about Emmett, I realized that he, Esme, and Carlisle would be returning home soon. They would wait for the cover of darkness before traveling with the medical supplies and donated blood, especially without Edward or Alice to forewarn them of any humans who may question them.

Feeling Alice's growing frustration, and wanting to see what supplies Carlisle was able to secure, I started wondering about running to intercept the three of them. "Good idea, Jasper," Edward murmured from inside the study. "They also are not aware of what has transpired, so they may not be hurrying home. Perhaps you could meet them and update them, getting Carlisle home as soon as possible." As he mentioned Carlisle's name, I felt a longing coming from him, and I instantly knew that he craved not only a doctor's mind, but also his father's presence.

Alice's eyes glazed over, and I knew she was getting a vague vision of us leaving, probably not too clear because of the baby. Her face relaxed a miniscule amount, and she nodded to me. We turned and ran down the stairs and out the back door. We ran in silence for a few moments, and then she slowed, beginning to search the future.

After a moment, she said to me, "We need to head south a little bit, and we should cross paths with them in about fifteen minutes. Like Edward assumed, they are not in a hurry to get home. Emmett is even trying to convince Carlisle to hunt a bit."

I could feel a bit of humor coming from her, and I figured that Emmett was being ornery with his parents. Sometimes, due to the immense responsibility of our gifts, Carlisle and Esme spent more one-on-one time with Edward, Alice, or me. I realized that this time for Emmett, alone with his mother and father, was probably a gift.

I followed Alice as she ran toward the place where she saw us finding our family, and I reflected on the past twelve hours. This morning, I was researching obscure myths, trying to figure out how to best control all of the many variables of this pregnancy and delivery, worried about the unknown aspects of the situation. In the end, everything worked out considerably well, and it looked like everything was going to be okay. I knew we had some obstacles on the horizon, what with a blood-thirsty newborn, a hybrid infant, and a love-struck puppy on our hands. However, considering what we feared would be the worst case scenario—loosing Bella, and then in effect, Edward—I would take our current dramas in a heartbeat.

I noticed Alice slightly veering off course, and I wondered why. Sensing my unspoken question, Alice explained, "If we come at them straight on, with the wind to their backs, they will not catch our scent, and it will unnecessarily frighten them. If we come at them from the side, they will smell us the same time they hear us, and they will change course to meet us." Sometimes my wife absolutely amazed me.

Sure enough, I could hear, smell, and feel the three of them just a few moments later. I felt the curiosity coming from them, as they were not expecting to meet any of the family this far from home. We met up with them a few seconds later, and I was already sending a calming wave their way, so they would know there was no emergency. At least, not anymore.

Carlisle spoke first. "What has happened?" He was intuitive enough to know that something had warranted our action, but the uncertainty I felt from him told me he did not know.

Alice replied, "Edward wants you, Carlisle, as soon as possible," she said, and then deliberately smiled. "The baby has arrived. Everything turned out well, although it did not go smoothly. Edward was able to get the venom into her and keep her heart beating. He is desperate for his father and a doctor—he is feeling very uncertain and scared. And," her smile grew bigger if that were even possible, "he would like to introduce you to his daughter."

"A girl!" Esme gasped, just as Carlisle whispered, "Edward…"

Emmett spoke next. "Let's go!" I could feel his need for Rosalie, a yearning to be with her. As we started running, I told him, "It has been a rough day for her. She will need you. However, she is doing remarkably well, and has done much today for you to be proud of." I chose not to mention the struggles she had when Edward was delivering Renesmee, knowing that Rosalie would want to talk to Emmett about that in her own time.

On the run home, Carlisle and I were able to discuss the supplies he was able to secure, some of which were unnecessary now that the delivery was over with. However, we did not know what kind of care the baby was going to require, so perhaps some of it would be useful with her. The donated blood would probably be necessary, considering that was her diet in the womb. I could feel a twinge of fascination from Carlisle under the more pressing feelings of concern and anxiety.

We arrived back at the house, and I got a whiff of werewolf. Since I did not see the wolf that went along with the scent, I assumed it was Leah, who tried to avoid us at all costs. I am sure she heard us coming and wanted to confirm it was us, but had no interest of interacting with us.

As we entered the house, I found the climate to be much calmer than before. I could not feel the unique combination of emotions from Jacob, so I assumed he was still in the forest, in wolf form, probably sleeping. Emmett dashed upstairs to see Rosalie, so I felt relief coming from both of them. Edward had calmed down considerably, no doubt a result from the calming time with his daughter. Esme and Carlisle followed me upstairs.

I watched from the doorway as they passed me and entered the room. They went immediately to Edward, looking back and forth between their daughter on the table and their new granddaughter. Edward immediately passed a sleeping Renesmee to Esme, before she could even ask. Edward smiled at her and simple said, "Your granddaughter." Esme's eyes locked on the baby and I heard her breath catch in her throat. She blinked her eyes against the non-existent tears and ran her fingers softly along the sleeping baby's face. I could feel waves of love and adoration from her. Surprisingly, there was no sadness. I had wondered if holding a baby would make her miss her own child that she had lost in her human life. Obviously, it did not.

"Mom," Edward said, softly. "Her name is Renesmee. " The simple statement did not need an explanation, nor did tenderness or awe that was apparent on Esme's face and in the tenor of her emotions.

After a moment, Edward turned to Carlisle, who was watching the interaction between his son and his wife with a loving pride. "Dad…" and then his voice hitched, and Carlisle wrapped his arms around Edward, and Edward collapsed into his father's arms.

I knew Edward had been holding it together all of these hours, being strong for Bella. But in that moment, it all because too much for him, as he yearned for the one person he trusted in this situation. He wanted his father to reassure him and to help carry the burden that was too much.

They embraced for a moment, and then Carlisle said with a chuckle, "It appears that I have a patient to check on." I thought this was a strange statement, but it brought a small smile from Edward, so I assumed it to be a private joke. They both turned to the operating table and looked at Bella while Esme continued to coo and whisper to Renesmee. "Start at the beginning, son, and tell me what happened."

I listened as Edward recounted the day, supplying many details that I was unaware of, in perfect recall. Carlisle's face remained sympathetic, but his feelings became more disturbed and shocked as Edward continued. His façade started to break when Edward recounted Rosalie and Jacob's role in the delivery, but not even Carlisle could contain his surprise and shock when Edward matter-of-factly explained that he had injected his venom straight into Bella's heart. I briefly thought that I hoped Carlisle would not ask Edward how he harvested his own venom, as I was not sure I could stomach that explanation. At that thought, Edward glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, the corner of his mouth threatening to pull up in a smile.

"Edward! What an ingenious idea. We did not even discuss this—how did you think of this?" I began to tune him out, afraid of the details of the answer, when I sensed Alice's approach. I did not turn around, and she slid her arms around my waist.

We stood like that for a moment, when she murmured, "Rosalie is asking to see Renesmee again, and I would like to spend some time with Bella and try to see her future." As she spoke, Esme came toward us with the baby, and as she reached us, I heard Rosalie's approach. The two of them ran downstairs smoothly, never jostling Renesmee.

Alice and I entered the room. Carlisle and Edward continued their conversation as Alice went and stood beside Bella. She started scanning the future, and something she saw must have been funny, and Edward must've been watching her visions, because at one point Edward quietly chuckled. I felt a slight change in the tenor or Edwards emotions ever since Carlisle arrived home. While he was still sad, worried, anxious, and stressed, he was no longer desperate. Carlisle's presence was as effective as my gift at taking the edge off of Edward's nerves.

"How does the future look?" I asked Alice, for mine and Carlisle's benefit.

"I am still seeing several possible futures, but they are all unclear. Because Bella is unconscious, she cannot make decisions. Depending on what she decides when she wakes up, many different things may happen. As we get closer, and she starts gaining cognitive thought, her futures should clear up. However, all of the futures include Bella waking up as a vampire in another twenty-four to thirty-six hours. I will be able to nail down the time better as we get a little closer." Alice felt relief and pride as she was finally able to help Bella with her gift.

"What did you see that was so funny," I asked her.

"Well, I can't exactly tell for sure, because it involves Jacob. I can't see what he will do to provoke Rosalie, but I am getting visions of her being very angry and annoyed at him—many visions. "

"Jacob and Rosalie?" Carlisle asked, and I realized we had not explained to him the unique "bond" that Jacob and Renesmee shared. At the same time, we heard Esme gasp from downstairs, and I knew that Rosalie had just filled her in. I left Edward to explain it to Carlisle, and I flitted downstairs to do damage control with Rosalie and Esme.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Alice and I settled into the couch and watched our family around us. Mostly, they were marveling over the wonder that was Renesemee. Jacob was still gone, but as the sun was beginning to make its appearance behind the ever-present Washington clouds, I assumed he would be joining us shortly. Alice could not see when that would happen, but I wanted to be within a close distance when it did. The last thing Edward needed was to be worrying about Rose and the dog.

I listened to Renesmee's heart fluttering, and I marveled at her. I felt such warm security coming from her—she knew she was loved, and she was so happy. She loved Rosalie and Esme especially, but as she was passed back and forth between us all, her contentment never wavered. It was awe inspiring.

I also listened to Bella's strong heartbeat from upstairs. I had not heard Edward shift his weight or move since Carlisle had left him earlier. He resumed his stance as sentinel beside his wife's bed and by the emotions I felt radiating from the upstairs, he was also resuming his self-loathing from which Carlisle and Renesmee had distracted him. Maybe he needed more time with his daughter.

I walked over to Carlisle, who was cuddling Renesmee and whispering in hear ear, and smiled sheepishly at him. I hated to break up the bonding that I could feel taking place, but I knew that it was just as important for Edward and Bella to be bonding with her as a family, even if Bella was not consciously aware. Rosalie had fed her, and her eyelids were looking heavy.

As Carlisle passed her to me, she put her hand on my cheek and I saw a picture of Alice and myself, sitting together on the couch from a moment ago. It was the first time she had used her gift on me, although I had seen her use it repeatedly with the others. From the feelings that went along with the picture, she was confirming that Alice and I were a cohesive unit in her mind. It brought me great joy that Renesmee was able to remember me, identify me, and that she saw me and Alice as a part of each other.

It was another first for me—my first vision. It was not nearly as much like a memory as I expected. Even clear vampire memories were something that I had to recall, that took place in the back of my mind. This was more like watching television, something that played in front of my eyes, without effort from me. I felt a sudden kinship with Alice, who had seen visions her entire vampire life. I now felt like I understood a part of her that I was never able to completely grasp before.

Looking around the room at the goofy grins on the faces of my family, I realized that I was radiating the joy and elation that I felt at these recent revelations. At first I felt guilty and embarrassed, but then I realized that this was the way our family was going to be from now on. Bella was a part of our family, and our worries were behind us. Life was going to be blissfully perfect from now on, and I was going to make sure of that. I was going to figure out a resolution to the Jacob and Renesmee saga that would bring peace to our home, and I was going to help Bella adjust to immortal life. Suddenly, I felt more a part of my family than I ever had before. Not a burden, but an equal member.

Pushing my blissful feelings up the stairs ahead of me, I gently carried a sleepy Renesmee to the second floor. Again, she put her hand on my neck, and I saw a picture of Edward, and in the peripheral of the vision, a still and sleeping Bella.

"Yes, little one, I am taking you to Daddy," I whispered. I entered the room, and Edward was in front of me in vampire speed. He took Renesmee, and was answering her thoughts before she could show him.

"Let's go see Mama," he crooned to her. Over top of her head, his eyes found mine, and I read the silent _thank you_ in them the same time I felt the gratitude.

I smiled at him, and went back downstairs. I reached the living room and was getting ready to sit beside Alice, when she sighed. "I just got a vision of you coming downstairs to sit with me, probably when you handed Renesmee off to Edward. Now, I am back to being blind."

I heard the loud footsteps a moment later. Rosalie hissed from across the room, flipping her long, blonde hair over her shoulder. Emmett was rubbing circles in her back, and Esme was quietly admonishing her. She flitted from the room with a grumble, "Does he think he lives here? He needs to knock," the moment the front door opened.

Jacob came in and instinctively wrinkled his nose. As much as I wanted to take offense to it, I imagine I would feel the same way walking into his house. I would imagine, however, that I would be more polite about it. Esme had taught me better than that. I realized, however, that Jacob did not have a mother to teach him manners.

As he came in, he brought with him the strongest feelings of longing and desperation that I have ever felt from a human. His eyes flitted to each member of the family, and I immediately understood that he was looking for Renesmee. He heard her heartbeat a moment later, I assume, because his eyes looked up toward Carlisle's study.

"Is it safe for her to be up there with Bella?" he asked again. "If Bella wakes up, and Nessie is too close…"

"_Who_?" five vampires asked at the exact same time.

"Oh, uh. I mean, Renesmee. I mean, she is just so small and cute and Renesmee just sounds so grown up… it seems like such a big name for such a little girl."

We looked at each other and I saw Alice smile. I think she liked the name. Esme looked a little thoughtful—I knew she loved the fact that Renesmee was named after her, and wondered what she thought about shortening the name. However, I had to agree with Jacob—it seemed to fit her.

"Yeah, so, anyway…about Nessie being up there…" Jacob continued.

"I don't foresee Bella waking up for another twenty-four hours, at least," Alice informed him. "And, although Nessie smells like a human to you, I think your imprenting issues are making you unaware of just how much she smells like a vampire. She is not appealing to any of us, so she will probably not be appealing to Bella."

I could feel Jacob's agitation as this was not putting him entirely at ease. "You are not sure…is it really the best thing…to put her in the situation without knowing how Bella will react? What if Bella gets a whiff of her and it wakes her up…you know…like smelling salt…"

Not only could I feel Jacob's nervousness, but I was beginning to feel Edward's annoyance from the upstairs. Even Esme was getting tense. This was my job—where I would be needed, the best way to help Bella.

"Let's take a walk Jacob," I said to him. His eyes turned to panic as he looked up the stairs, his need to see Renesmee evident. "A short walk," I added.

He looked at me evenly for a minute, and moved aside to let me by. "After you," he said, and I knew he did not want to turn his back on me. I was still a leech to him.

I sent him a calming wave, and walked out the door. It went against my instincts to turn my back on him, but I knew my family was watching us leave, and they would be able to prevent an attack. Also, I could feel his emotions, and there were none that were similar to what I have felt in battle.

I wanted to walk away from the house, to give us some amount of privacy. I waited for him to catch up, and we went around the house, across the river. Once we were in the forest, I sent him another calming wave, and leaned against a tree.

"Jacob…I know how you feel about Renesmee," I began. He started to cut me off, and I knew from the spike of anger that I felt from him that he was going to say, 'You have no idea how I feel.' He stopped himself, though, and rolled his eyes. "Okay, I'll give you that, bloodsucker," he said. "Go on."

"I know how you feel about Nessie," I repeated. "So does Edward. We are the only two who will understand right now. Eventually, when the rest of the family sees the two of you interact, they will grow more comfortable with it."

"Even Blondie?" he asked, his voice thick with sarcasm.

"Okay, I'll give you that, dog," I replied, which drew a twitch of a smile from him.

"Here's the thing, Jacob. I'll help you how I can. I have a very annoying and very tiny bit of admiration for you. You were there for Bella when I could not be. And I feel how you feel about Nessie, and I cannot ignore that. However, if you want me to help you, then you have to help me. Try not to be annoying. Realize, especially at first, that you are going to have to sacrifice time with Nessie to keep the peace in the house. In a few weeks, as things calm down, I really believe that you can be a bigger part of her life. You can work that out with Edward and Bella. But for now, if you back off a bit, I think it will serve you better in the long run."

He eyed me warily. Those were more words spoken in than he had ever heard me speak. I am usually a man of few words. But I could feel the acceptance coming off of him before he spoke.

"Got it. I'll do what I can. I just am not sure I can help it, but I will try." He delivered that chopped sentence with a grimace.

"If it helps, look at it like this: It's what Nessie needs right now. She needs to bond with her parents, and she needs to be with her family—inlcuding you. All of us."

He looked at me evenly for a moment, and then nodded. I didn't expect a thank you from him, but what he did give me surprised me. He smiled and turned around, and without a look back at me, he walked back to the house. He gave me a measure of trust.

I waited a moment, so that my footsteps would not sound like pursuit, and I followed him slowly to the house. When I entered the house, I saw him paused at the bottom of the stairs. I realized that he had not seen Bella since the transformation. The closest he had gotten was the hallway outside of the doorway. Considering the "Come on up, Jacob," that Edward murmured from the bedroom, I assumed Jacob was thinking of going up there. I tasted the emotions and found nothing alarming between the two of them, so I didn't follow Jacob as he went up the stairs. I went to stand with Alice, and I listened to them as she enjoyed some time to search the future.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

While Alice took advantage of Jacob and Nessie being out of the room to search the future, I listened to Jacob and Edward upstairs.

"How is she?" I could not tell if Jacob was talking about Renesmee or Bella.

"I don't know. I…the morphine could be making her sleep…" He paused and for a moment and then responded to an unspoken thought. "Forget about it. I understand. It was not a normal or rational situation, and I cannot expect you to react like it was. You were there when you needed to be and I could not have saved her life without you." Another pause, and then, "Jacob, don't beat yourself up. I am sure someone downstairs would save you the trouble." He laughed, and then said, "Yes, I am sure she would. Seriously, Jacob…I am grateful for your sacrifice, not critical of your failings."

I was used to one-sided conversations with Edward and was fairly adept at imagining the silent questions. I knew that it was important for Edward and Jacob to have some closure over Bella's transformation. Edward continued, "I never thought I would see your face during Bella's transformation, especially with the concern I see etched in your eyes. It will mean a lot to her that you can continue to be a part of her life."

Edward paused, listening to Jacob's thoughts. "Yes, about that," he continued, his voice turning less friendly. "You know I can hear your thoughts when you are with her, and I want to go on record as saying that the only reason I have not tossed your mystical-wolf self out of this house is because I am aware that your thoughts are pure. If that ever changes, so does your welcome here." The finality in his voice was matched by the passion I felt from him. He paused, and then continued, "We will face that when she gets older. For now, you are another uncle to her, or a big brother. Possibly a best friend. But absolutely nothing more."

I expected Jacob to argue, or at least make a sarcastic comment, but there was nothing by silence. Perhaps he was taking some of my advice. I contemplated sending some calming waves up there, but they seemed to be controlling themselves on their own, so I did not interfere.

I heard Edward shift his weight and take a step, and then I heard Jacob walk toward Edward. For a brief moment, I wondered if the insanity was getting to them both and they were going to hug, but then I heard the swish of fabric, and felt those intense, concentrated feelings of gravity coming from upstairs, and I knew that Edward had handed Nessie to Jacob to hold.

I heard Jacob gasp and felt the alarm coming from him, but before I could intervene, Edward replied, "I know. I need to talk to Carlisle about that. We've all noticed it, and we've all been thinking about it. We just haven't talked about it yet." When Carlisle heard his name, he looked up from the book he was reading. "I know. Don't panic, Jake. We'll deal with it like we've dealt with everything else—one step at a time."

Understanding flooded Carlisle's eyes, and I heard Edward say in a quiet voice, "Yes, Carlisle, if you would. Jake will take Renesmee downstairs and feed her." Carlisle and Jacob passed each other on the stairs, and before Jacob could make it to the living room, Alice sighed. "It's like turning off the television," she muttered.

"Were you able to get any good glimpses of the future," I asked her.

"I was mostly looking for Bella. Everything is the same. I can see more and more of her details. She is going to be beautiful. She will even rival Rose," she finished in a whisper, winking at Emmett, who good-naturedly glowered at her.

"Speaking of Rose," Alice continued, "I caught a glimpse of her running home. She will be home shortly. I could tell you for sure when, but…" she trailed off, glancing at Jacob and Renesmee, who entered the room.

"Oh, goody," Jacob muttered, but a glare from Emmett stopped him from saying any more.

Jacob looked at Esme. "Edward said she would be waking up and would be hungry soon. Do you have bottles prepared, or…" he trailed off in partial disgust, not wanting to think about the reason for his existence drinking blood, but adoring her too much to really care. I felt the conflicting emotions coming from him as Esme replied smoothly, "Of course, Jacob, dear. Let me get it for you."

Esme left the room the same time Rosalie slammed open the front door and stomped into the living room. Emmett gave her a sympathetic look, and she quieted her footsteps, but did not stop glaring at Jacob. Or sending off waves of wrath.

I sent large doses of calmness to Rosalie, along with a good dose of lethargy. She glanced up at me with a semi-annoyed expression but did not comment on my help. She also stopped glaring at Jacob, but chose to ignore him completely instead.

We all quieted as we heard Edward's one-sided conversation with Carlisle. They were speaking quietly, but all of the ears in the room could hear them clearly. Carlisle must have been thinking quite a lot, because Edward was quiet for quite some time during Rosalie's little show.

"What are we going to do?" I heard Edward ask, desperation in his voice. I saw Jacob hold Renesmee a little tighter, and the change woke her up. She did not cry, just put her hand on Jacob's face, and whatever she showed him made him smile. She looked around the room and smiled at us. It was a big, tooth-baring grin. The gesture made all of us vampires in the room melt, and even Rosalie could not suppress a smile. Of course, the pure joy I was sending her way wasn't hurting anything, either.

Esme returned to the room and handed the metal bottle to Jacob. He looked at it with a confused expression on his face, and Alice laughed. "It has to be made of a material that her sharp teeth won't slice through. She would not be able to handle a traditional baby bottle. Or rather, it would not be able to handle her."

"Acutally," Esme added, "I think Carlisle would like to have her try traditional baby formula. We have some stocked. Perhaps after she is finished, we can try it."

I could feel Jacob's eagerness at this idea. I was certain anything except human blood would make him happy. Even animal blood would be better, I felt sure. I wondered how long it would be before Jacob would be asking to take her hunting. He'd probably even go and snag a little bunny rabbit for her.

"You have no idea how close you are, Jasper," Edward commented from upstairs. "Will you all come upstairs when Renesmee is doing eating? Carlisle and I would like a family meeting. You, too, Jacob," he finished.

Rosalie's good mood was slowly slipping away, and that last comment did not help anything. Part of me wondered if Edward did not specifically invite Jacob just to make a point with Rosalie.

"Observant, Jasper," Edward murmured, but before anyone could ask me what he meant (and I could feel their curiosity), Jacob stood with Renesmee and held the bottle out for someone to take. He had it pinched between two of his fingers, the way someone would hold a dirty diaper. Which made me wonder…

But before my mind could go down that path any farther, I felt the tension between Rosalie and Jacob, and quickly calmed them down. Alice danced over and took the bottle into the kitchen, as there was no way I would touch that. Cold, lifeless blood was not nearly the same thing as the warm, pulsing blood of a human…but it was certainly more appealing than the animal blood we made do with.

Instead, gave Jacob a significant look and took Nessie from him. I sent him a burst of calm as I did, and then prepared to hand her off to Rosalie. Before I could do so, Renesmee put her hand on my face and showed me a picture of her and me together, like we were right now. "You want me to carry you?" I asked her. Her resulting smile was all the answer I needed. I gave an apologetic look to Rosalie and a big wave of happiness, which was not hard for me to conjure up. We all rose and flitted up the stairs, Jacob following slightly behind.

Bella was lying across the room, and I was trying very hard to block the feelings I felt coming from her, for Edward's sake. Instead, I focused on Nessie in my arms, and of all of the pictures she was showing me-- Jacob feeding her, Emmett grinning, and Carlisle's cuddles. Finally, she settled on one of Rosalie holding her, so I handed her to Rose, ignoring the smug look on her face.

Carlisle spoke, and Edward kept his eyes on Bella. "Jacob asked about something today that we've all noticed—Renesmee is growing faster than a normal human infant. She is already holding her head up, smiling, and is virtually able to sit on her own. I would like to start measuring her every six hours, calculate the rate of her growth. Also, I would like to do some experiments to see if her system will tolerate human food, and if so, if her rate of growth is affected by her diet. Perhaps she will grow at a human pace if she eats human food."

Esme turned and left the room, and in the moment, Carlisle turned and got his medical bag. By the time he approached Rose with a tape measure, Esme had returned with another bottle, this time with baby formula, I assumed due to the repugnant scent.

Carlisle measured Renesmee's head circumference, her length from head to toe, and the length of each of her limbs. He also measured around her torso, and then gently lifted her onto a scale that was sitting on his desk. It all took only a few seconds, and she was soon snuggled back into Rose's arms.

Nessie put her hand on Rosalie's neck. Rosalie laughed and said, "Did that tickle, little one?" She looked at Carlisle and said, "She actually enjoyed that a little—she thinks it's a game."

"Well, that would make the process easier, certainly," Carlisle replied with a smile. He turned to Esme and said, "Let's try some formula." Esme and Rose looked at each other, and then Esme handed the bottle to Rose with a small smile. Rosalie accepted the bottle, and lifted it to Renesmee's lips.

Renesmee wrinkled her nose and put her hand on Rosalie's neck, "No, it's different than last time," she replied. Nessie slowly put the bottle in her mouth, took a tiny drink, and quickly turned her face away. The expression on her face was priceless—it was a mixture of disgust and hurt. Confusion rolled off of her, and it about broke my dead heart.

"Try again, Renesmee," Carlisle soothed. He took her from Rosalie, along with the bottle, and tried to get her to try it again. She did try once, and again had a negative reaction. Edward chuckled as he read her thoughts, and said, "I am not sure that this is going to be successful. She is as stubborn as her mother."

"As if her _father_ is any less hard-headed," my Alice replied. Edward gave her a small smile.

We passed Renesemee around, each taking a turn trying to get her to take a drink. She seemed to enjoy the attention of the whole family, but she did not like the formula one bit. Finally, Jacob was able to play a game with her where he would take a drink, and then she would take a drink. He was able to get her to finish most of the bottle that way, although he was looking a little green when he finished.

"Well, let's see if it is compatible with her system," Carlisle said. "We'll see if she digests it, or if she has to…" he trailed off, with a glance at Jacob.

"Actually, Jasper had an interesting train of thought earlier," Edward explained. "He was wondering about diapers. So far, Renesmee has not had the need of any, and she has been drinking human blood. But perhaps, if her system digests the human food, she may need the diaper. "

We all looked at each other with expressions of confusion, embarrassment, and humor. Other than Bella, no one other than the rare guest had ever used the toilets in our home. It brought Bella great embarrassment when she was a human, but of course it was necessary.

Rosalie went and grabbed Renesmee from Jacob, careful for their skin to not touch, and said, "Let's go find you a diaper." The joy and excitement coming from Rose was enough to make me smile. Yes, having Renesmee was going to make our family so happy.

Jacob notices that Reneseme is growing too fast

They start the measurements

Carlise and Edward talk (from BD)


	10. Chapter 10

Familiar Dialogue quoted from Breaking Dawn (but we all recognize it anyway, right?!?) by Stephenie Meyer, who owns it all.

Chapter 10

Carlisle's experiment of how Renesmee's body would react to human food warranted some interesting results. As it turned out, her body did process human food, and it did leave her body in the same way as it did a human. This caused quite a commotion as none of us vampires had dealt with that in quite a while, and no one was comfortable with Jacob handling that, including Jacob himself.

The feelings of embarrassment, confusion, and disgust that were swirling around the room were making me very nauseous. The smell in the room was not helping that, either. I sent bursts of calmness out, and that eased the situation slightly. The one person I could not control was Nessie. She was very uncomfortable and did not like the sensations she was experiencing at all. She kept putting her hands to Jacob's face, and he was trying to soothe her, while sending pleading looks as Esme. He would not stoop so low as to make eye contact with Rosaile.

In the end, Esme and Rosalie teamed up to change Renesmee's diaper. I never thought I would see Jacob willingly and eagerly hand Nessie over to Rosalie, and I never expected Rosalie to hesitate to take her. "Like her mother, she is full of surprises," I heard Edward mummer from upstairs. He was starting to remind me of an attic bat. He hissed at that thought, but I could feel his amusement as he did so.

Due to the warm weather, Rose and Esme took Renesmee outside to change her, and Jacob went out the opposite door to check in with Seth. I saw Alice's face relax, and she started scanning the future. "Bella is going to be waking up soon. We are within the twenty-four hour window. We should all go hunt, so that we are prepared for whatever might happen when dealing with a newborn. We may need all of our strength to handle her. I don't see anything particularly dangerous happening, but since she is not conscious, any decisions she may make will change the futures I see. Newborns are so unpredictable…they are ruled by their instincts. Not nearly as bad as werewolves, though…" she trailed off with a grimace.

"Hey, I resemble that remark," Jacob retorted good-naturedly as he walked back into the room, adjusting his clothing as he came in. "I need to relieve Seth so he can sleep, but I wanted to stop back in and tell Dr. Fa—er, Dr. Cullen, that there has been no sign of Sam or any of the other wolves. All is clear, if you want to go hunting before Bella wakes up."

"Thank you, Jacob. Yes, we were just discussing that," Carlisle answered. "We'll go out in groups in the next few hours, just so we'll be prepared for anything that happens. You may want to think about preparing Leah and Seth. They will need to be prepared and have orders on what to do in a number of different scenarios," he continued, with a nervous glance upstairs.

I believe only Carlisle could get away with veiled comments and thoughts about Bella's undesirable newborn traits without the ever-present hiss from our resident vampire recluse. "Jasper…" Speak of the devil. I was feeling a bit ornery, and I think it was because of the constant stream that I felt coming from Jacob.

"Yes, I'll go talk to them…" he started, and then changed his mind when he heard Rosalie returning with Renesmee. I suddenly got bombarded with the intense imprenting feelings. I had to fight the urge to calm him down, promising myself I would do it if he didn't even himself out.

"On second thought, I might spend some time with Nessie." His voice got all soft and higher pitched when he got to her name, and his feelings reached an intensity that was overwhelming me, so I started sending those calming waves, along with an apology. "Sorry, Jacob, it's for my sanity."

"Oh, no you don't," Rosalie glared, sending off not anger, but stubbornness. "It's my turn."

"What?!? You just spent time with her!"

"That was not what I would call quality time," she retorted, and Renesmee started crying, putting her hand quickly to Rosalie's face. Whatever she showed Rosalie calmed her down, but Rosalie just glared in Jacob's general direction and shook her head 'no.'

Carlisle went upstairs, leaving me to deal with the tense situation myself. Emmett was oblivious to it all, engrossed in a baseball game he found. Alice was humming to herself, her visions completely blank due to Jacob's presence. Rosalie and Jacob were ignoring each other, and Jacob was looking out of place and feeling uncomfortable and frustrated. I figured it was just a matter of minutes before he was running, but I knew pride kept him from leaving at that exact moment.

My attempts at sending off happy emotions were interrupted by Carlisle opening the door to his study. I heard him walk across the room and ask Edward, "Still no change?"

"None," Edward replied.

"There is no scent of the morphine left," Carlisle commented as I heard him smell her.

"I know."

"Bella," Carlisle's gentle voice called, "Can you hear me?" I could feel his professional detachment start to waver as he said her name.

"Bella?" Edward echoed." Bella, love? Can you open your eyes? Can you squeeze my hand?" I felt Edward's worry start to escalate into panic. I concentrated on gifting him a small wave of reassurance. I did not want to alter his mood, but did want to keep him in control.

"Maybe…Carlisle, maybe I was too late." His control started slipping again as he finished his sentence.

"Listen to her heart, Edward," Carlisle gently replied. I found myself listening, as well as everyone in the room. Even Emmett paused his game to hear the strong, steady rhythm. "It's stronger than even Emmett's was." This brought raised eyebrows and amused looks from Rosalie and Emmett. "I've never heard anything so vital. She'll be perfect."

Edward calmed considerably. "And her-- her spine?" he asked quietly.

"Her injuries weren't so much worse than Esme's. The venom will heal her as it did Esme." Esme smiled at the ceiling as she humbly held out her hands to hold Renesmee. Rosalie obliged.

"But she is so still. I _must_ have done something wrong." His worry was starting to escalate again.

This time, Carlisle's words calmed him. "Or something right, Edward. Son, you did everything I could have and more. I'm not sure I would have had the persistence, the faith it took to save her. Stop berating yourself. Bella is going to be fine."

His worry faded to immense sadness. "She must be in agony."

I tried to hide my thoughts, but it was too late. I tried to block the waves of agony I had been blocking from Bella since my return, but I think Edward felt them before I could start thinking of Esme's joy at cooing with Renesmee. Carlisle's reply did not sooth him this time. "We don't know that. She had so much morphine in her system. We don't know the effect that will have on her experience."

My fears of Edward hearing my thoughts were reignited when I heard him whisper, "Bella, I love you. Bella, I'm sorry."

I looked at Alice, and I saw Rosalie and Emmett exchange a sad glance. None of us liked seeing Edward hurting. Even Jacob looked pensive. Rosalie stood and murmured something to Emmett about the two of them hunting, and then an aside for Esme not to let the dog hold Nessie, and then left to the sounds of Esme's rebuke. This caused Jacob to stand, tremble, and then disappear out of the opposite door as they left to go hunting.

I sighed, wondering if Carlisle and Edward heard that exchange. By the feelings of disappointment I sensed coming from Carlisle, I figured they had. I then heard Edward respond to Carlisle's thoughts. "No, I'm staying right here. They'll sort it all out."

"An interesting situation," Carlisle responded. "And I'd thought I'd seen just about everything." He was beginning to feel amused.

Edward was beyond amusement. "I'll deal with it later. _We'll_ deal with it later," was his emphatic reply.

"I'm sure, between the five of us, we can keep it from turning into bloodshed." Even Carlisle thought Jacob was no match for Rosalie, as his blood would be the only one possible to be shed.

Edward sighed, and replied, "I don't know which side to take." I could agree with that. "I'd love to flog them both. Well, later," he trailed off.

Carlisle started to realize that focusing on the positive attributes of the situation and Bella herself was cheering Edward up. He replied, "I wonder what Bella will think—whose side she will take?"

Edward forced out a laugh. "I'm sure she'll surprise me. She always does."

Carlisle chose to leave on that positive note, and came back downstairs. He settled onto the couch with Esme, and the two of them cuddled with Renesmee. Nessie had started to doze, and Carlisle was relaxing, switching from "doctor mode" to "grandfather mode." With Jacob and Rosalie gone, I was enjoying the peaceful quiet in the room. The only points of contention were Alice's slight frustration and pain with Renesmee being in the room, Edward's constant gloom, and Bella's—no, not going to think it. Alice and Edward's pain, only.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The next few hours went by quickly. When Rosalie and Emmett returned from hunting, we decided to send out another hunting party. Esme, Alice, and I decided to go, since Carlisle had hunted on the way home and felt he was more needed at home. While he didn't say it, I knew he wanted to monitor the Jacob-Rosalie situation, as well as be there for Edward and Bella. I tasted his mood and found no distress, so I did not push him to leave with us.

It was freeing to fly through the air as we ran. We enjoyed having Esme with us, and I was warmed by how comfortable and happy she felt with us. She did not have any uncomfortable feelings that would accompany a 'third wheel.' We hunted and played, but did not linger. We rested for a moment, allowing Alice time to scan the future. She wanted to check on Charlie and Renee, as well as the Volturi. She saw nothing alarming and even commented on a successful fishing trip Charlie would have in a few days, even though he was very worried about Bella.

Before long, we headed for home. The wolf stink was becoming stronger and stronger, and I wondered if Leah were purposefully marking the foliage and spreading her scent, just to be vengeful. While most of the family believed her to be angry and stubborn, I sensed a complicated array of emotions coming from her. I would be interested to get Edward's take on her—some day, when he was less stressed.

We approached the house as Carlisle was finishing up his latest round of measurements of Renesmee. Alice danced upstairs to check on Bella and to share with Edward her latest visions of Bella.

He must have heard her thoughts before she entered the room, because he immediately asked her, "How much longer?"  
"It won't be long now," she happily replied. "See how clear she's becoming? I can see her so much better," she finished before sighing.

"Still feeling a little bitter?" Edward asked slightly sarcastically, although I could feel the sympathy underneath his tease.

"Yes, thanks so much for bringing it up," she grumbled good-naturedly. "You would be mortified, too, if you realized that you were handcuffed by your own nature, I see vampires, best, because I am one; I see humans okay, because I was one. But I can't see these odd half-breeds at all because they're nothing I've ever experienced. Bah!" She finished, but I could sense the yearning she had to distract and cheer him up, even at her own expense.

"Focus, Alice."

"Right. Bella is almost too easy to see now."

Edward's mood slowly shifted as he saw Alice's vision of a healthy, happy newborn vampire. "She really is going to be fine," he replied, bursting with relief.

"Of course she is," Alice replied smugly.

"You weren't so sanguine two days ago."

"I couldn't see right two days ago. But now that she's free of all the blind spots, it's a piece of cake." Cake. That brought back sad, depressing memories for me, of a birthday party, exactly one year ago today. I tried to focus on the more recent memory of cake—the wedding, and the amusement of imagining Edward regurgitating his wedding cake on his honeymoon.

"Could you concentrate for me? On the clock—give me an estimate," Edward demanded.

"So impatient. Fine. Give me a sec--."

More relief. "Thank you, Alice.

Alice felt proud. "She is going to be dazzling."

Edward growled quietly. "She always has been."

Alice gave the cutest little snort. "You know what I mean. _Look_ at her."

Alice danced downstairs, and she and I settled onto the couch with Emmett, who was watching another baseball game. Jacob was wide awake form his nap and had been watching Nessie intently for the last few minutes. He rose, squared his shoulders, went straight to Rosalie and held his arms out for the baby.

"It's my _turn,_" she snarled, and Jacob growled in response. His hands started shaking, but before I could calm him down, Emmett was in between them. "Hey, now," he said warningly to Jacob, but I felt no hostility from him.

Esme hissed at them both. It was very rare for Esme to hiss at us—gentle rebukes were more her style. But we knew, when she hissed, we all listened. Rosalie glanced at Esme, and then begrudgingly handed Nessie to Jacob. I sent Jacob a wave of gratitude and a pointed look. He nodded discretely to me, held the sleeping baby for a few moments, and then returned her to a surprised Rosalie a moment later. He was feeling anxious, and I knew something was bothering him. To go demand Nessie like that…he was feeling insecure and restless.

He turned to Carlisle. "I was thinking, as you all have been preparing for Bella to wake up, that I need to prepare as well. I need to face this thing with Sam, to tell him about Bella and Renesmee."

Carlisle looked thoughtful. "Yes, things are certainly different now than they were two days ago. Sam should be made aware of the…extenuating circumstances."

Jacob nodded. "With the imprenting tendency being one of our sacred attributes, the pack will not attack your family, for fear of hurting her. I also need to inform him that as Ephrim's heir, I gave permission for an exception of our treaty to save Bella. This should ease one stress about the future," he finished, chuckling uncomfortably.

He looked at Nessie again. I was again taken off guard by the emotions he was experiencing, and I knew the sacrifice it would take to leave her, if only for a short time. "Would you want any of us to accompany you? Perhaps Carlisle and I should come with you," I began.

"No, if anyone comes with me, Sam may not pause to listen. He may think it is an attack. I need to go alone."

"Alone?" Esme cried. "At least take Seth and Leah with you. Surely, the pack would not hurt them."

Jacob shook his head. "I won't risk it. Besides, I want them to stay here and help guard the house." His quick look at Renesmee told us why.

Carlisle nodded. He stood and clasped Jacob's hand. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

Jacob, more humbly this time, approached Rosalie and asked quietly, "Can I tell her good-bye?" Rosalie rolled her eyes but handed Nessie, who was now awake, over without comment.

"I'll be right back," he whispered to her. He leaned down and touched his nose to hers and she grinned. She touched his neck, and he replied, "Yes, we'll do that when I get back." He handed her back to Rose, waved half-heartedly to us, and went outside to find Seth and Leah.

We settled back into our positions, listening again to Bella's labored breathing, strong heartbeat, and the drone of the television. At one point, Renesmee played with Emmett and me until she was hungry (or thirsty) again. Esme prepared a bottle, and Carlisle fed her this time. I felt a mixture of paternal feelings from his grandfather side mixed with the analytical feelings that marked the doctor in him. I knew he was still trying to figure out what we were facing with Renesmee.

I thought of Bella upstairs and felt a renewed sense of brotherly love, mixed with the attachment and protectiveness I felt for Nessie. I decided to start researching vampire hybrid babies while we were waiting for Bella to wake up. I went over to the back windows and sat at one of the computer desks. I brought the computer to life, thinking of the other computers throughout the house. These were just as much props as anything else—the newest computers were in a part of the house that the rare visitor would never see. However, this computer would suffice for my basic searching, and I could relocate if I needed.

I did not get far searching for vampire hybrids, and I was disgusted with what I was finding. Mostly, the myths centered around disturbing accounts of vampire trysts with humans. I could easily dismiss these accounts because the details were enough to deem them false. Details such as the vampire tasting the human's blood during the encounter or the humans hurting the vampire were blatant attempts to romanticize an almost impossible event. Almost impossible, as I thought of my brother, the only vampire I could imagine to have the unique combination of strength, will-power, and insanity that it would take to attempt such a fiasco.

I searched some more on the stories that were localized around Isle Esme, as these accounts sounded more plausible than the ones that were blatantly orchestrated by urban teenagers trying to get a cheap thrill by meddling in a world far darker and more dangerous than they could even imagine. The local indigenous tribes of South America seemed to take the threat of vampires more seriously, which opened their eyes a little wider to the truth than their civilized counterparts in the more populated area. They reminded me of our own local native tribe, and I wondered how Jacob's meeting with Sam was going. It made me wish that Alice could see their meeting, which surprised me. I never imagined that I would develop a begrudgingly, albeit sincere, affinity for a werewolf.

I felt Edward's humor at my thought, and I knew he agreed with me. I also could feel that his annoyance with Jacob was mixed with admiration and a begrudging respect, and I realized that he and I felt the same.

As I was contemplating Edward's feelings, I started tasting the subtle emotions around the house. Since Jacob was gone, the intense imprenting emotions were not overwhelming me, and I was able to check on my family. I looked at Alice, who had a blank look on her face and was clearly not watching the baseball game on the television. I recognized that she was trying to search the future, and this task was being made all the more challenging by the cherub sitting not far from her having her hair brushed by her doting Aunt Rosalie. I was taken off guard as I realized that Alice was feeling anxious and I felt a longing coming from her.

Reflexively, I rose from the computer and walked behind her, putting my hand on her shoulder, but not manipulating her mood. Usually my presence was enough to calm her, but the longing did not dissipate as I expected. I soon understood that she was not missing me, sitting only a few feet from her, but she missed her best friend. I realized that the past couple of days had been very hard on her, as she loved Bella more than anyone except Edward. I ran my fingers though her hair and sent her a very small thread of comfort, wanting to ease her pain without denying her the opportunity to work through her emotions.

Since I was already feeling Alice's anxiety and longing, Esme's similar emotions were easy to pick up next. Her emotions were a little more complex, because the love and mothering instinct that she naturally exuded slightly altered the flavor of her anxiety. I secretly found myself over the years tasting Esme's moods more than probably necessary, as the mothering instinct produced a brand of happiness that I never knew existed.

A version of that thread was working its way into Rosalie's jumbled mess of guilt, anger, haughtiness, lust, and pride. Those emotions were typical for my sister; however, the selflessness that was growing as a result of her unique bond with her niece was a surprising addition. I imagined it would be overshadowed by her annoyance when Jacob returned.

Emmett was engrossed in the television, and I could feel his excitement in watching the baseball game. However, I could also feel protectiveness and happiness radiating from him. His emotions always seemed opposite of Rosalie's. It took me years to understand that they complimented, not contradicted, each other.

Carlisle was as consistent as usual. Sometimes when I felt out of control, I would find myself drawn to him. His steady nature was a balm to me, and when I did not want to be alone but was feeling overwhelmed, I found debating religion and philosophy with him to be the perfect solution. However, his wrinkled brow as he looked at Renesmee was the only hint to the thread of worry that wove through his spirit.

I felt Jacob's emotions almost as soon as I could hear his breathing and soft footfalls beyond the edge of the yard. His relief was evident and overshadowed only by his need for Renesmee. I heard a change in the air as he phased back to human, the brush of fabric as he redressed himself, and his eager footsteps as he quietly came into the house. He slowly came into the room, eyes searching until he found Nessie. I braced myself for the onslaught of emotions as he saw her, and I was glad I was expecting them. It made the intensity a little easier to bear. I purposefully deflected them back onto the room, especially toward Rosalie. She glared at me out of the corner of her eye but could not find the will to be annoyed. Jacob finally tore his gaze away from Nessie, making eye contact with Carlisle. He gave Carlisle a small smile and a nod, indicating that everything went well. He slowly walked to Rosalie, and held out his hands. She gave the baby to him without a comment. I wondered if we were making any progress.

I turned my searching towards the second floor, trying to separate Edward's emotions while blocking Bella's, when I accidentally picked up in a change in Bella's mood. Her pain was slightly changing; it was mixed with relief and anxiety. At the same time, I heard her steady heartbeat start to race. Edward's voice broke the silence. "Carlisle," he called in a low voice.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Carlisle was flying up the stairs as soon as he heard the change in Bella's heartbeat, before Edward could even call him. Alice was close on his heels. I felt her excitement in that moment, more attuned to her emotions than anyone else. She was anxious to be with her best friend again.

"Listen," Edward said unnecessarily, as we could hear her heartbeat clearly all the way downstairs. He was speaking out of excitement and nervousness. I could feel him calm slightly as Carlisle entered the room.

"Ah," Carlisle said. "It's almost over." This announcement, while not a surprise, caused the anxiety level of each person, apart from Renesmee, to spike.

"Soon," Alice agree, being able to see Bella's future since she was away from Jacob and Renesmee. I knew neither of them would be there when she woke up, or Alice would not have been able to see that.

"I'll get the others," she continued, although we could have clearly heard had she just called us up. "Should I have Rosalie…" I could feel her hesitation, wanting to keep Nessie safe, yet knowing Bella well enough to know she would want to see her daughter. What Alice didn't understand was the complex and violent nature of a newborn. She had not been around newborns like I had, and she had not witnessed a human being changed like most of the rest of us.

"Yes—Keep the baby away," Edward said, and I was taken aback by the paternal protectiveness that I felt from him. It was stronger than anything I had ever felt from Carlisle, or any father for that matter.

Suddenly, I felt a shift in the emotions upstairs-the three vampires turned tense. I noticed they all stopped breathing, and I heard Edward murmur, "Bella? Bella, love." She was waking up.

"I'll bring them right up," Alice said, as I was rising. I would not allow Alice to be alone with Bella when she awoke. Even though Alice should be able to see before Bella attacked her, newborns made impulsive decisions that Alice may miss. Plus, having Nessie and Jacob around impaired her visions enough that I would not take that chance.

I met Alice at the bottom of the stairs, Emmett right behind me. I turned around, knowing that Jacob and Rosalie would be protecting Renesmee. I couldn't imagine Bella getting past Edward, Carlisle, Alice, Emmett, and myself, but I had seen stranger things happen with newborns. We would not fight Bella, but would have to restrain her. It would take all five of us to restrain her without hurting her.

I felt Esme's hesitation before I saw it. She looked upstairs, and then back to Nessie. I could tell she wanted to be both places at once. Looking at Rosalie and Jacob, I thought perhaps it might be wise for Esme to stay and act at both referee, if needed, and another line of defense for Nessie. I nodded at her to stay where she was, took Alice's hand, and ran up the stairs.

I prepared myself for the coming moments. This was going to be my gift to Bella, the first time I could really help her. I would help her make the transition into immortal life, both with my gift as an empath, and my knowledge of newborns. I was excited and wary at the same time.

As we entered the room, we heard her heart accelerate even faster. It sounded healthy and familiar—all of those newborns I helped create during my days in the South had reached this point moments before they became immortal. Only , they had been screaming and withering in pain for days before….

I grabbed Emmet's arm and the two of us stood closest to Bella. I pushed Alice behind me with a stern look that she would not argue with. I also fixed Carlise with a less severe look, and he hid a small smile and stood behind Emmett. While Carlisle was strong, he was not aggressive enough to deal with a newborn. I would have liked to put Edward behind me as well, but his glare at the thought told me I would lose that fight.

_You are going to have to let us restrain her if necessary, Edward,_ I thought to him. _You know we won't hurt her anymore, and she will be devastated if she does something to hurt Alice, Esme, you…or Renesmee._ His brief nod assured me that he would allow us to tackle her, if that's what it came down to. And I was certain that, at some point, Emmett and I would be pinning her to the floor.

Blocking Bella's pain was harder when I was in the room with her, and it was an even harder struggle as I watched her back arch and her heart beat so fast that a human's ears would not be able to distinguish the individual beats. We held our breath as her heart beat one strong, loud beat, stuttered a couple of times, and then beat its final beat.

In the moment after her heart stopped beating, I immediately noticed the absence of her pain. I no longer blocked her, and felt nothing but relief from her. This surprised me, because I was used to the fear and anger that usually accompanied a newborn. Perhaps she would work up to that as she became aware of her surroundings.

Edward was by far the most tense, anxious one of us. The intense love and guilt flowing through him would have rivaled Jacob's imprenting emotions. He was perfectly still, not wanting to startle Bella, although I could feel how much he wanted to go to her.

Carlisle was battling his emotions. He was feeling proud, loving, and curious all at the same time. As usual when dealing with Bella, his paternal and medical sides were both fighting for dominance. Usually, due to Bella's extreme clumsiness, the medical side won out, as I expected it to do now. I would watch him extra closely as I knew he would be examining her shortly.

Alice was quite distracting with her excitement. I could feel her wanting to brush past us all and embrace Bella, as I am sure she saw in one of her visions. However, there was no possibility of that happening, as Bella would quite literally crush Alice.

Emmett was so happy and joyful, excited to meet the new "indestructible Bella," I am sure. I could feel his curiosity peeking through, wondering what Bella would be like. I looked at him out of the corner of my eye and sent him a wave of protectiveness. He nodded seriously to me, ready to help restrain Bella when it became necessary.

A second later, she opened her eyes, and we all tensed even more, if possible. We could see the bright red irises staring up at the ceiling, and I felt a few flickers of surprise in the room. Even though we knew and were expecting the red eyes, they looked so unfamiliar on Bella. I quickly sent a strong wave of calm around the room. We would need everybody in control with an out of control newborn.

_Be ready, Edward. She is not going to be herself. She may snap at you._

Bella's first breath broke the silence in the room. I wondered what she thought, how the air would taste and smell. Instinctively, I drew a breath too, trying to figure out what she would be sensing. I smelled the unique and familiar scents of my family, and I smelled remaining wisps of Bella's blood that had been cleaned from Renesmee's hasty delivery. I could smell Jacob's musty scent downstairs—blood, but not appealing. I imagine a human would equate it to sour milk—food, but nothing they would want to consume. I could also smell Renesmee—again, smelling like food, but nothing we would want to eat. However, a newborn will eat about anything, and Renesmee—and Jacob for that matter—would be in danger of Bella's intense thrist.

I saw Bella tense up in response to Edward squeezing her hand.

_Careful, Edward! You took her off guard…_

As I expected, Bella immediately hissed and threw herself up into a defensive hunting crouch. She found Edward immediately and stared at him with critical eyes. I knew there was a chance that she would not recognize him, or any of us, and would see us as a threat. Our defense instincts were stronger than our instinct to feed.

However, she did not attack, but continued to take in her surroundings. Her eyes flicked to me for a brief second, and she took in my defensive stance in front of Alice. Then, her eyes moved to Alice, who was looking over my shoulder, and what she saw in Alice's face made her calm down considerably.

Her eyes went back to Edward, and her anxiousness slowly faded to…_wonder?_ She was looking at Edward like a blind person seeing for the first time. The intense love, longing, and passion that came from her astounded me. More than when Jacob looked at Nessie, and quite possibly stronger than when Edward looked at her. It is not very often that I am taken off guard, but Bella's reaction to seeing Edward for the first time through vampire eyes was nothing like anything I could have ever imagined. A part of my mind hoped Edward was paying enough attention to my thoughts to register all of this.

Bella stood up quickly, once she realized there was no danger, and continued to stare and marvel at Edward. Like a moth drawn to a flame, I saw Edward take a step towards her, his hand still outstretched from a second before, when he was holding her hand.

_Edward, _I warned. _She will attack on instinct—with no warning. Don't get too close to her._

He ignored me, walking slowly toward Bella. "Bella?" He asked, and I sent them both wave after wave of calm. If newborns are able to be kept calm, they are less likely to attack their allies.

As he spoke, more feelings of wonder and love rolled from her. While this was a positive sign, the intensity of these feelings worried me. That would mean that her negative emotions were just as intense, and that would cause devastating problems.

"Bella, love? I'm sorry, I know it's disorienting. But you're all right. Everything is fine."

This statement, while meant to calm, only made Bella agitated. No doubt, she started thinking of all of the issues that led up to her transformation. The last moments of her human life were chaotic and stressful. As these details started to flood her mind, her control would waver, I was sure.

Edward's hand, which was already outstretched, slowly rose to brush Bella's face. _What are you doing?_ I practically screamed to Edward. While reattaching an arm was nothing that Carlisle could not handle, if Edward were incapacitated, we would have one less strong vampire to control Bella. I felt that Edward was taking things with Bella too fast. I knew he could feel my disapproval.

As his fingers made contact with Bella's cheek, I felt a sudden burst of passion and…_lust_…from Bella. This did not surprise me, given the intensity of her feelings for Edward so far, but it did make me internally sigh. I thought living with Emmett and Rosalie was torture…Bella and Edward were going to make my existence miserable for the next few years.

As her lust and yearning grew, she finally made the leap I was expecting. Her feelings overwhelmed her, and she launched herself at Edward. I tensed, ready to attack, but I did not feel any fear or apprehension from Edward, or malice from Bella. As she crushed Edward in her impressive embrace, I felt his discomfort. He was fighting his own defensive instincts, struggling not to throw her off of him, fidgeting instead.

Bella noticed the fidgeting the same time I did, and she was automatically confused and saddened by his response. I realized she was trying to hug Edward, but was not used to her new body. She released him immediately, feeling remorse. The rest of us felt amused, but also more on guard after this show of strength and impulse.

"Don't panic, Love," Edward murmured, still comforting her. "You're just a bit stronger than I am for the moment." As he continued to stroke her cheek, her passion grew, intense with a newborn's fervor. Yes, this was going to be a long couple of years.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Sorry it took so long for the update! And THANK YOU to all of the PM's, reviews, and encouragement, asking me to update! Hopefully, it won't be as long for the next one!

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My family's indulgence at Bella and Edward's rather passionate reunion was slowly turning to annoyance. Embarrassment at physical intimacy was not something that we felt, what with decades of living together with other happily married couples—we were all desensitized to the embarrassment much earlier. However, I did feel varying shades of annoyance from the rest of the family.

Alice was anxious to be with Bella, possibly to make good on visions of girl-bonding that she has been watching for the past few moments. While I usually was confident in Alice's visions, the unpredictable nature of newborns made me extra cautious, regardless on the bright future Alice envisioned.

Carlisle was anxious to examine Bella, although it was clear that Bella had transformed beautifully. He and Emmett both felt protective of her, but also wanted to get on with the next few hours, helping Bella acclimate to vampire life. We all remembered how the first days felt.

Ironically, the strangest feelings that I cataloged were Jacob's. While there was a slight annoyance at Bella and Edward's physical display, the only other emotion I noticed was the expected protectiveness, apparently for Renesmee. No jealousy. That was new.

Carlisle walked past Emmett toward Bella, and I quickly followed him. Even though Bella had not snapped at Edward, there was no telling how she would feel toward Carlisle. Perhaps his position of leadership in our family would make her feel threatened. I monitored her reaction, but rather than aggressive, she seemed a little awe struck. It did not appear she would have any problems falling under his leadership.

"How do you feel, Bella?" Carlisle asked, and I closely listened to both her words and what she felt as she answered.

"Overwhelmed." That was understandable. "There's so _much…" _Again, I tensed, wondering if she would be taken off guard by her unstable emotions.

"Yes, it can be quite confusing, " Carlisle reassured her.

"But I feel like me. Sort of." That surprised me. Most newborns that I dealt with complained of feeling so different. "I didn't expect that." Me, neither.

"I told you so," I heard Edward murmured in her ear.

"You are quite controlled, " Carlisle continued, "More so than _I_ expected, even with the time you had to prepare yourself mentally for this." I agreed with Carlisle, but was still wary of her losing control.

"I am not sure about that," Bella whispered, echoing my thoughts.

Carlisle's emotions turned curious quickly. "It seems like we did something right with the morphine this time. Tell me, what do you remember of the transformation process?"

After a brief pause, Bella said, "Everything was…very dim before. I remember the baby couldn't breathe…" I could feel Bella starting to panic as she looked to Edward for news on her baby.

Quickly, Edward reassured her, "Renesmee is healthy and well." I felt her anxiety leave as quickly as it came, and again, that surprised me. "What do you remember after that?"

"It's hard to remember. It was so dark before. And then…I opened my eyes and I could see _everything._"

Guilt? Why would Bella feel guilty? Usually, this particular feeling came from someone who was being dishonest. However, what she said was completely truthful…I would have to talk with her about that later.

"Amazing," Carlisle said under his breath. The guilty feeling intensified. "I want you to think, to tell me everything you remember."

Bella made a face, and I wondered at what she was feeling. I was starting to be uncomfortable with the situation—Bella was not acting in a way that I understood, and my years of military training and life experience had taught me that when a situation is unexpected, bad things usually happened. _Edward, we need to get her hunting, soon. I don't know how if she is controlling her emotions, or if it instinct, but I am afraid it's not going to last much longer._

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Bella," Carlisle continued. "Of course your thirst must be very uncomfortable. This conversation can wait." Bella's hand felt her throat, the place that we all felt the same, continual burn. Taking my advice, Edward said, "Let's hunt, Bella."

Shock rolled off of Bella in waves, worrying me. I quickly made sure that Alice was firmly behind me and Emmett, taking note of her excitement. Like an innocent child, Alice had never before witnessed a vampire conversion, and she had no idea what an out of control newborn was like. Even the ones we fought last year were somewhat able to control their reactions. A couple of months makes a difference in the life of a new vampire.

Understanding her expression, Edward again soothed her. "It's quite easy, love. Instinctual. Don't worry, I'll show you." He continued, "I was under the impression that you'd always _wanted_ to see me hunt." This made Bella laugh, which is something I had ever in my existence heard from a minutes-old newborn.

"Shall we?" Edward asked, holding the hand that was at her throat. "I don't want you to be uncomfortable." That made two of us. A thirsty vampire is a dangerous vampire.

"I'm fine. Wait. First." Her disjointed thoughts were common.

Carlisle was the first to ask. "Yes?"

"I want to see her. Renesmee." Bella's hands went to her now empty womb.

_Be careful what you say, Edward. We've never encountered a maternal vampire. She may have human-like post-partum hormones raging as well as her vampire instincts. _

"What?" Bella asked in response to our reaction to her request.

Carefully, Edward responded, "Bella, That's not really a good idea. She's half human, love. Her heart beats, and blood runs in her veins. Until your thirst is positively under control…you don't want to put her in danger, do you?"

Bella was quiet as she thought about what Edward said. Longing filled the air as she asked, "Where is she? Is Rosalie with her?"

"Yes," Edward replied, and the stress in his voice could be seen on his face. _Don't upset her, Edward._

But it was too late. "Wait! What about Jacob? And Charlie? Tell me everything that I missed. How long was I…unconscious?"

Edward looked at Carlisle, who must've been advising him silently how to answer. I added my thoughts, _Wait until after she hunts to tell her everything that has happened, especially with Jacob…_

"What's wrong?" Bella asked, assuming that our hesitation was due to a reluctance to deliver bad news.

"Nothing is _wrong,_" Carlisle, instead of Edward, answered. "Nothing has changed much, actually—you were only unaware for just over two days. It was very fast, as these things go." This was true; I could remember much longer conversions that I had instigated. "Edward did an excellent job. Quite innovative—the venom injection straight to your heart was his idea. Jacob is still here," he continued, "and Charlie still believes that you are sick. He thinks you're in Atlanta right now undergoing tests at the CDC. We gave him a bad number, and he is frustrated. He's been speaking to Esme." Only Esme could keep Charlie from flying to Atlanta.

"I should call him," she mused. "Hold on—Jacob is still here?" _Calm her down and take her hunting Edward! We don't know how she will react to Jacob's imprenting. _

"Bella," Edward hurried to answer, before Carlisle would have to sidestep this minefield. "There is much to discuss, but we should take care of you first. You have to be in pain…"

"But Jacob—"

"We have all the time in the world for explanations, love." I wondered if she would guess that there was some conflict with Jacob, but instead she calmed herself down and answered, "Okay."

"Wait, wait, wait," my Alice called. Inwardly, I groaned. I could feel her excitement as she was talking, and I felt the tenderness from Bella when she concentrated on Alice's face. "You promised I could be there the first time! What if you two run past something reflective?" Knowing my wife the way that I did, I imagine that is exactly what she just foresaw.

"Alice—" Edward protested, before I could.

"It will only take a second!" She flitted from the room, determined. I heard her in Rosalie's bedroom lifting something large.

"What is she talking about?" Bella asked skeptically. Before anyone could answer, Alice was back with the large mirror that adorned Rosalie's closet door.

I shadowed Alice as she approached Bella, very concerned at Bella's reaction to her reflection in the mirror. I had vivid memories of vampires throughout my life that would become frightened or angry upon seeing the bright red eyes looking back at them where deep blue or warm brown used to be. Even though Bella would be prepared for the change, I doubted she would be completely ready to see the profound changes that would appear in Rosalie's mirror.

As I moved closer to Bella, her eyes slid from Alice to me, and instinctively, she crouched to a defensive position. My scars would be more apparent through her new eyes, and they may trigger a reaction. I remembered the first time I met my new family and the reaction they had initially upon seeing the souvenirs of my time in the South. It took Rosalie quite a while before she would relax around me, and I had refused to use my gift to calm her. She was right to be wary of me, as was Bella. I never wanted to mute my family's instincts toward danger; they might need them one day.

Alice chose to ignore the exchange and focused on the mirror, distracting Bella. "Edward game me grief for not getting you to a mirror before the wedding. I'm not going to be chewed out again."

"Chewed out?" Edward asked, and I could tell by his anxious emotions he was trying to lighten the mood.

"Maybe I'm overstating things, " Alice retorted.

"And maybe this has solely to do with your own voyeuristic gratification." I noticed Alice wink at Edward, which confirmed my suspicion of their banter being intentional to put Bella at ease. Perhaps Alice saw the helpfulness of the conversation, and Edward witnessed it secondhand in her thoughts. Alice spent much of her life that way, living out events and conversations twice. Very few people, other than me and Edward, realized that.

Bella looked in the mirror, sending off waves of pleasure and horror intertwined. These were completely normal emotions, and I concentrated to see which one would win. If the horror took over, anger would soon follow.

"The eyes? How long?" she whispered, her feelings still teetering.

"They'll darken up in a few months. Animal blood dilutes the color more quickly than a diet of human blood. They'll turn amber first, then gold."

Suddenly, Bella's feelings spiked for the first time. While she knew all of this, I guessed that everything was catching up with her; her thirst, her stress, and her new instincts. The stress coming from her was the first dangerous feeling I felt from her. _Edward!_ I called, as Bella asked, "Months?"

I stepped forward, ready to restrain her. _ Pin her arms if nothing else—come at her from the side_. _I can try to calm her if she gets any more upset. I don't want to inhibit her natural instincts if I don't have to, _

_though…_ I hoped Emmett was ready, as I had no way of communicating with him without alarming Bella further. If she thought we were going to come after her, she would not be able to control the defensive reactions her body would employ.

I could see Alice scanning the future and Edward listening to our thoughts and watching Alice's visions, and I was weighing taking preventative measures—we could restrain her, take her outside, and force her into the forrest. Bella saw our reactions and realized that we were concerned about her. True to her human self, she immediately felt chagrin, and slowly I felt her stress disappear. Leave it to Bella to feel bad about our reactions.

"No, I'm fine," she told us. "It's just…a lot to take in."

_Edward, how is she calming herself? Her stress immediately disappeared when she realized she was upsetting us. I've never seen this before…it concerns me._

"I don't know," Edward said, and I realized he was answering my thoughts.

Bella asked, "What question did I miss?" She was used to Edward's ability by now.

"Jasper wonders how you're doing it." Of course he would tell her.

"Doing what?"

I decided to answer her, since Edward already singled me out. "Controlling your emotions, Bella. I've never seen a newborn do that—stop an emotion in its tracks that way. You were upset, but when you saw our concern, you reined it in, regained power over yourself. I was prepared to help, but you didn't need it."

"Is that wrong?" More stress, afraid of letting us down.

"No," I answered, although I didn't know if it was right, either.

"It's very impressive, Bella, but we don't understand it. We don't know how long it can hold." Edward's voice seemed to soothe her more than anything else.

Alice spoke up, lifting herself up on her tiptoes in her excitement. "But what do you think?" Bella was a beauty, that was for sure. Even though I was concentrated on her emotional and physical reactions, a part of my mind cataloged the differences in her physical appearance.

"I'm not sure," she responded, still feeling a little apprehensive.

As she studied her face in the mirror, I heard Edward sigh, and felt a twinge of annoyance from him, probably in response to someone's errant thoughts. My money was on Emmett. However, Bella assumed that he was sighing at her, and she turned to him.

"Disappointed?"

Chuckling, he replied, "Yes."

_EDWARD!!! Stop teasing her. She could turn on us at any moment. You will be very upset if we hurt her trying to restrain her, and she will be devastated if she hurts one of us…_

Alice snarled at Edward, continuing their banter. I crouched closer to Alice, in case Bella lunged at her. I had seen newborns instinctively go for the smallest vampire in proximity, whether friend or foe. Alice definitely looked weak compared to the rest of us.

Edward smoothly went to her side, hugging her. "I was rather hoping that I'd be able to hear your mind, now that it is more similar to my own," he whispered. "And here I am, as frustrated as ever, wondering what could possibly be going on inside your head."

_Smart, Edward. Draw attention to the fact that she believes her brain doesn't work right._ I was turning sarcastic in my stress. I would feel much better after she hunted. I would feel much better a year from now when she was not a newborn, too.

Bella surprised me again with her response. "Oh well. I guess my brain will never work right. At least I'm pretty.

Sidestepping that battlefield, Edward continued to tease her. "Bella, you have _never_ been merely pretty."

_Edward, if you don't stop teasing her and flaring up her hormones by whispering in her ear, I am going to attack you myself. Get her outside to hunt. Enough is enough. She may be controlling her thirst for now, but—_

"All right, all right," he replied, and I knew it was to me.

"What?" Bella asked.

"You're making Jasper more edgy by the second. He may relax a little when you've hunted." I worried about her reaction to my unease, wondering if she would feel threatened by me. However, she just looked at me and nodded. "Okay. Let's hunt."

Then, turning from the mirror to face her family, Bella calmed her nerves and prepared for her first vampire act.


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Thanks, Thanks, Thanks for all of the kind reviews and encouragement to update. This chapter is very short, but the next chapter will be up immediately and is a little longer. :-)

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Edward took Bella's hand and led her to the window.

"The window," Bella asked with some trepidation. This amused me, considering that there was no way for her to hurt herself by jumping out of the window. Now the ground, on the other hand, could suffer some damage.

"It's the most convenient exit. If you're frightened, I can carry you," Edward teased her. I was surprised at the lightness of his tone, although I knew some of it was intentional. Edward and Alice both seemed to be keeping a jovial attitude, most likely in response to some vision of Alice's. However, I also knew that both of them were feeling excited and relieved to see Bella awake and healthy.

"We have all of eternity, and you're worried about the time it would take to walk to the back door?"

_Careful, Edward._ "Renesmee and Jacob are downstairs…"

"Oh."

"Is Renesmee okay with Jacob there? He doesn't like her much." _No, he LOVES her_, I couldn't help but tease Edward. I figured Emmett's thoughts would be full of jest as well, hearing the light chuckle he tried to hide under his breath. Sometimes, I marveled at how much Emmett's friendship had changed me from the brooding vampire I was when I joined our family.

Edward made a face after hearing out thoughts, and perhaps even those of Jacob. I wonder what Jacob thought of Bella's questions. I still only felt protectiveness coming from the first floor.

"Trust me, she is perfectly safe. I know exactly what Jacob is thinking." I assumed the last statement was for the rest of us, as well as Bella.

"Of course," Bella replied, still worried.

"Stalling?" Edward distracted her.

"A little. I don't know how…" I could feel Emmett's excitement matching Alice's. Now that the danger was almost past, he was starting to relax. It was easier for him, having Rosalie safely away.

"Watch me," Edward said, as he left the room via the window.

Bella's determination was evident, even to those in my family who could not feel it. We watched as she landed lightly on her feet. It seemed her clumsiness did not follow her to this life. Emmett would be disappointed.

"Right. Easy."

"Bella?" I heard Edward call.

"Yes?"

"That was quite graceful, even for a vampire." I looked at Emmett and he grinned. We were both very proud of our little sister.

Dancing, Alice took a few steps back and pulled Emmett and me away from the window. Before I could ask why, a silver high-heeled shoe was flying through the window, followed immediately by its partner. Alice must have seen that coming, as she caught them as they flew precisely into her hands. My wife still amazed me.

Alice winked and mumbled, "Her fashion sense hasn't improved as much as her balance." We watched as Edward crossed the river, encouraging her to follow. Alice shook her head when Bella hesitated, and then grimaced and ground her teeth when Bella tore the bottom of the dress that was shipped overnight from New York City. Alice had searched online during her time hiding in the attic, looking for the perfect "wake-up" dress, as well as numerous outfits to stock Bella's cottage closet.

We all laughed, upstairs as well as downstairs. Jacob, Rosalie, Esme, and Renesmee must be watching from the back wall in the living room. We all watched as Bella leaped across the river, following Edward into the woods.

I looked at Carlisle. "Should we follow them? Perhaps Edward will need help with Bella…"

Emmett laughed. "I think Renesmee is proof that he can handle Bella."

Carlisle agreed. "I think they need time alone. Bella does not appear to see Edward as a threat—perhaps too many of us at once makes her nervous."

Alice held up a finger and scanned the future. "I don't see her attacking him anytime soon—however, there is an indistinct quality to my visions of her. Perhaps because of her impulsiveness, or perhaps there are other decisions that have not yet been made. I don't _think_ she will attack Edward, thought."

Alice's uncertainty did not make me feel any better. "I don't know if it's safe for any of us to be alone with Bella. With at least two of us, we stand a chance at distracting her long enough to contain her."

Carlisle smiled. "If you remember, I was alone when I changed Edward. While he had his moments, for the most part, we lived very peacefully those first months. And Bella knows Edward, where the rest of us were turned by strangers. " Alice raised her eyebrows at that statement, reminding us that she was changed by someone who cared about her, even though we never knew him. However, she did not argue Carlisle's point, and I gave in.

"Fine. But Alice, I really don't want you alone with Bella for a while. Humor me. Until your visions of her firm up."

Alice rolled her dainty eyes and said, "Yes, Jasper." I could both hear and feel the sarcasm coming from her, but I also knew she would humor my request.

Emmett and Carlisle left then to go rejoin their spouses downstairs, and Alice and I drifted to our room. I saw Alice scanning our futures as we slowly walked, not in a hurry and enjoying each other's company.


	15. Chapter 15

Alice and I continued to enjoy a brief moment alone in our room, although neither one of us was completely relaxed. I was still tense from being alert when Bella awakened, and Alice was humming quietly to herself while scanning the future. I knew she and I both would be working hard in the coming months to help Bella's transition to her new life.

I felt Alice tense at my side, suspense and concern rolling off of her in waves. Since I did not feel panic, I did not leap into action, but I was alert to any sound or feeling that would indicate danger to my mate or me. I scanned the emotions in the house and found them to be normal. I listened to the noises outside—the car driving slightly above the speed limit on the highway past the entrance of our driveway, the thud of the paws of the werewolves as they patrolled in the forests, and the television broadcasting the news too low for any human ears to pick up. All of this was catalogued in less than half a second.

Finding no immediate threat, I knew Alice's vision was either something far into the future or something that did not concern us. The latter hypothesis was confirmed when Alice fervently whispered, "Bella, no…" Her voice did not sound pained, but more like a parent encouraging a child. I held Alice as she continued in the vision, and as suddenly as it started, it was over. Before I could ask her about the vision, she turned to me with a wry smile.

"What's amusing to you?" I asked, tracing the corner of her mouth with my finger. "It sounded like Bella was in danger at first—or, perhaps, I am just so used to Bella being in danger that I just assumed."

Her smile widened at my joke. "We have to get used to Bella being able to take care of herself now. She won't be in any danger, any more."

"Are you going to tell me about you vision?"

She paused, thoughtful. "I will if you want. However, I think I should let Bella tell you. It's something she would like to share herself."

I laughed. "She's not pregnant again, is she?" I joked. Then, my smile vanished. "Is she?" I guess I had been surprised by Bella enough in the past that now nothing would be inconceivable.

I heard Emmett laugh and Carlisle chuckle from downstairs. While we tried not to listen to private conversations between mates, I knew that the rest of the family would pick up on Alice having a vision, and usually those involved the whole family. I did not begrudge them listening in on that.

Alice giggled. "Not today," she said with an eye-roll. She relaxed against me and we continued our leisurely, murmured conversation about the adventures of living with Bella and Edward.

Moments later, I heard the almost non-existent sound of footsteps running through the woods towards the house. I recognized Edward's, and with a start realized that Bella's were nearly as fast as his. Graceful and lithe, they were the complete opposite of the loud, clumsy steps she took as a mortal.

I tensed, ready to gauge her mood while I saw Alice scan the future. After a quarter of a second, frustration rolled off of her. Her tone was nearly as annoyed as the look shot at the floor when she said, "It doesn't help me _see_ her when you throw yourself into the mix, wolf. Let Jasper and me handle it. " I zeroed in on Jacob and felt indecision coming off of him as he fought the urge to follow his instinct or trust Alice on whatever they were talking about. Instinct must've won, because the next thing I hear is Jacob walking outside with determination emanating from every tensed muscle.

I looked at Alice, questioningly. "Don't ask me," she grumbled. "I have no idea _what_ he is planning. I can't see anything."

We ran downstairs, both to be closer to Bella or Edward if they were to need us, and also to protect Renesmee in case the situation got out of hand. We all gathered along the back window, Esme holding Nessie for once instead of Rosalie. While the majority of my mind was focused on the three outside, a part of me couldn't help but explore the feelings that my mother felt while holding her grandchild. I knew that, while Esme had her own special claim on Nessie, there was still that part of her that grieved for her baby son. I sent Esme a wave of love and a wink, and I turned my attention and focus to the edge of the woods.

Jacob stood on this side of the river, tense yet not frightened. While he had nothing to fear from Edward, I wasn't completely sure Edward could be counted as an ally. While I was sure Seth would not harm Bella, I was not convinced of the same from his sister. I continued to strategize in my mind as Bella jumped across the river. Edward has slowed, no doubt listening to whatever Jacob was thinking.

"Ha!" Bella's musical voice exclaimed as she jumped the river. She felt triumphant, but that confused me slightly. She had already crossed the river once; didn't she realize that she could do it again?

Before I could analyze Bella's feelings further, they changed to complete fear. She was aware of Jacob suddenly, but instead of attacking him, she was afraid of him. Didn't she know she had nothing to fear from the wolf?

Edward's worried face was directly over her shoulder. However, it was annoyance, not concern, that he felt as he grabbed her arms and instructed her not to breathe.

"Carefully, Jacob. Perhaps this is not the best way…"

"You think it would be better to let her near the baby first? It's safer to see how Bella does with me. I heal fast." Jacob's bravado was not fake; he was fearfully concerned about Bella with Renesmee. While I could tell that this displeased Edward, a part of me admitted that Jacob had some good points. It was good strategy. However, if Bella actually _bit _Jacob, that would be another story.

Edward's eyes flicked to mine briefly as he read those thoughts out of my mind. He considered it, and then annoyance won out over concern. "It's your neck, I guess."

Jacob's stance changed immediately. He calmed considerably and became almost nonchalant. We could hear the humor in his voice when he finally addressed Bella for the first time. "I gotta say it, Bells. You're a freak show."

Of all the idiotic moves, the mutt had decided to insult a newborn vampire and her severely over-protective, highly neurotic mate. However, before I had time to register more than incredulity at his boldness, Edward was growling at him. Of course he was.

Ironically, all I felt from Bella was relief—and still an undercurrent of fear. No anger, no malice, no instinct to protect. I considered this as Bella and Jacob exchanged good-natured barbs. Joking. A newborn vampire joking with our natural enemy. It was all almost too much to understand.

My internal musings were cut short when Jacob and Edward's conversation turned tense and Jacob concluded with, "Let's get this show on the road." I turned to glance at Emmett with raised eyebrows, but he just grinned. Nothing much upset Emmett. Carlisle was cautious and curious, at least.

"C'mon, Bells. Do your worst." Inwardly, I groaned again. Could this boy be any more flippant toward a creature that could end his life? Or worse, that could start a fight that would end up including Edward, the wolves, and the rest of our family? While I agreed with Jacob's test, I also thought Jacob could be more cautious when dealing with my newborn sister.

Bella's fear spiked, and again I realized that Bella was needlessly afraid. _Edward, I don't know if you are paying attention to how I am reading them or not, but Bella is afraid. She shouldn't be afraid, she should be enraged…_I trailed off, wondering why she was not feeling the protective instincts that we each felt the first time we encountered the wolves.

Not more than a moment passed, but Jacob's impatience was growing. "I'm getting older here, Bella. Okay, not technically, but you get the idea. Go on, take a whiff."

She cringed into Edward, still fearful. I had almost decided to go out there and put a stop to the situation when Bella asked, "Hold on to me." Suddenly, I realized she wasn't afraid _of_ Jacob, she was afraid _for_ Jacob. Of all the crazy notions…

We all held our breaths as Bella closed her eyes, set her jaw, and wrinkled her nose. We heard the shortest intake of breath, paused and took another deeper breath. I expected her to tense, but of course she did the opposite of what was normal—she relaxed. "Huh. I see what everyone's been going on about. You stink, Jacob."

Cutting the tension like a knife, Bella's proclamation brought laughter from Emmett and Edward, smiles from Carlisle and me, a trademark eye-roll from Alice, a grimace from Rosalie, and a reproachful look for the rest of us from Esme. Renesmee reached toward the glass, and I wondered which of the three she wanted—Jacob, Edward, or Bella. She squirmed in Esme's arms, and Rosalie automatically reached for her. Nessie put her hand on Rosalie's face, and Rosalie smiled at her, which told me that she wasn't asking for Jacob.

"Look who's talking," Jacob retorted, although his worry was not matching the humor on his face. He smiled at Bella, truly happy to see her, but still worried—probably about Renesmee. The way he and Edward both worried, I figured it was good they were both supernatural creatures, or they would both end up dying from some stress-induced illness. Edward's eyebrows raised and he gave me a calculated look, which I took to represent some statement about a pot and a kettle.

I felt Bella's resolve. "Okay, so I passed, right? Now are you going to tell me what this big secret is…"

Feeling Jacob squirm was quite amusing, and he murmured, "It's nothing you need to worry about this second…" Emmett and I exchanged amused glances and laughed, catching Bella's attention. It would be amusing to watch Jacob wallow in uncomfortable misery as he explained to his former "soul-mate and best friend" that he was now in love with her newborn daughter. Excellent.

Bella looked toward the house, although I could tell she could not see us since her eyes were focused near us, but not directly on us. We all heard herd her emotional whisper, "Renesmee," although only I felt the longing behind it. I wondered about those feelings, stronger than I felt from Esme and Rosalie. Not just stronger, but more intense, like the difference between the purity of human blood and the substitute of animal blood.

"Come and see," Edward crooned to her. "I know you can handle this."

"You'll help me?"

_Why Now?_ I asked Edward. _We could make it a gradual introduction, to get Bella used to her scent. We don't know what mothering instincts will do to a vampire—it could be dangerous. In fact, I wonder—_

My musings were interrupted by Bella voice and the mention of my name. "And Emmett and Jasper—just in case?" In that moment, I realized how much Bella looked up to me. She saw me as the protector that I was, that she never got from her father or any other male, other than Edward. Her big brother. While Emmett still seemed amused, I was moved beyond the moment—changed. By seeking out my protection, she solidified her place as my little sister.


	16. Chapter 16

I was still reeling from the unexpected trust that I felt from Bella and her knowledge that Emmett and I could help protect Renesmee from her. A part of my mind tried to understand Bella, while a different part of my consciousness was monitoring the situation between Bella, Edward, and Jacob.

Bella looked at me with a trust that I wasn't certain that I deserved. While I considered myself honorable and trustworthy, my actions at her birthday party, as well as my subsequent physical and emotional distance, would have set any other human on edge and uncomfortable. Looking back over the past couple of months, Bella never displayed any fear or anxiety around me, nor any anger, which would've been appropriate as well. Her typical feelings of insecurity, longing, and occasional embarrassment were the color of her emotions.

I continued this train of thought while I listened to Edward reassure Bella of Renesmee's safety. I wondered why Bella would accept me as she would Emmett, who had been kind and available to her consistently through her brief time she was a human with our family. Was she really that forgiving?

Jacob's growing unease drew my consciousness back to the situation outside. I prepared myself to calm Jacob, although I found that my powers of emotional manipulation did now work as well on the werewolves as it did humans. "Are you sure, bloodsucker? I don't like this. Maybe she should wait—"

"You had your test, Jacob." "But—" "But nothing. Bella needs to see _our_ daughter. Get out of the way." I could feel the territorial instinct rising in both Edward and Jacob and starting sending calming waves to them both.

This calmed Jacob down enough for his instinct to change from territorial to protective. He ran back into the house to be closer to Renesmee. Edward growled, although I wasn't sure if it was at Jacob, my interference, or some unspoken thought that he heard and didn't like.

_Calm, Edward. Bella will feed off of your emotions, and we don't need her getting territorial. Do you need more help calming down?_ I added the last part a bit sarcastically, challenging him to control himself.

"Shall we?" he asked Bella, in control of himself once more—for the most part.

As they headed towards the house, I checked our positions. Carlisle and Alice were the closest to the door, which was good because their faces would calm Bella the most. I shifted to be as close to Alice, and with my eyes told Emmett to flank Esme, who was on the other side of Carlisle, to protect our mother who would never defend herself against Bella, even if the newborn attacked her.

Behind our line was Rosalie, holding Rensemee. Flitting back and forth around the room was a very agitated Jacob. While I understood his concern for Renesmee, there was no way Bella—newborn or not—was going to get through seven mature vampires and an Alpha wolf. Renesmee was perfectly safe. I was more worried about the emotional fallout from any type of family altercation, and committed to protecting Bella from that.

As they came through the door, I sent a subtle wave of kind, welcoming feelings throughout my family, and the smiles that greeted Bella were genuine. The front line was happy to see Bella and hopeful that she would be able to interact with her daughter, but the feelings from behind me were more complex. Rosalie was wistful, knowing that this introduction was the beginning of the end of her time of mothering Nessie. Nessie herself was impatient and curious, and I realized at that moment that, while not biologically related, the tenor of her emotions reminded me of my Alice. Even now, Nessie's impatience was mirrored beside me in Alice, who was growing more excited by the moment.

Bella looked up, her eyes barely registering any of us, and locked eyes with Renesmee. A certainty that I had never experienced poured from them both—similar to how Alice and I felt the first time I saw each other, yet with a difference. Her next reaction was shock—her vampire senses immediately recognized the differences in Renesmee over the past couple of days.

"I was out just two days?" she hoarsely whispered.

Her eyes never left Renesmee, and I monitored her emotions closely. She still felt awe and love, but I knew that could change at any moment. The shock of seeing Renesmee, or her scent, could bring to the surface her primal, newborn instincts in an instant.

_Stay close, Edward. Prepare for her to lunge. Toward Renesmee or even Jacob, if she sees him as a threat. _I heard Rosalie murmuring, "Yes, that's her," to either Bella or Renesmee, although the soft tone suggested the latter.

In a sixty-fourth of a second, everything changed. Bella made the move I was expecting, straight for Renesmee. Before she could take more than one step, however, we were there. Emmett and I went straight for her, Carlisle on my right and Esme on Emmett's left. I was surprised that Esme stepped forward so quickly, but I was more confused when Alice said, from _behind me_, "Oh, give her some credit. She wasn't going to do anything. You'd want a closer look, too." I wondered if her certainty came from a vision or from wishful thinking.

Edward glanced at me, his hands still restraining Bella's arms. I narrowed my eyes, uncertain to her emotions. I knew, however, that I did not sense any aggression or defensiveness. Just curiosity, mixed with an anxiousness that I knew could turn deadly in a moment. I looked him in the eye and thought _keep a good hold on her. If her thirst becomes too much, or if she decides that Renesmee is prey, she will turn violent before you will be able to catch her._

Bella's eyes slid to me, and I realized that my face was the first think she looked for since laying eyes on Nessie. Was she seeing me as a threat? Sizing me up, knowing that to get to Renesmee, she'd have to go through me, first?

Her gaze held none of the fight I looked for—again, it was a gaze of trust, as if she was reassuring herself that I was there and ready to help her. Her words confirmed that. "I'm okay…Keep close, though, just in case."

_I would not use the term 'okay,' Edward, but she seems calm, for now. Remember, she is not 'in control,' no matter what she thinks._

"Em, Jazz, let her though," he told us, although his eyes only met mine. "Bella's got this."

_No. _"Edward, the risk—"

"Minimal. Listen Jasper—on the hunt she caught the scent of some hikers who were in the wrong place at the wrong time…"

My mind immediately filled in the blanks. Bella, newborn and burning with thirst, searching for the disgusting scent of deer or elk, catching the scent of humans—my throat burned just thinking the word. Tearing off, racing for them. Edward following, fast enough but not strong enough to stop her. Jumping on the humans, sinking her teeth in the soft skin, reveling in the thirst-quenching liquid…

Poor Bella. I should've been there. We should've went with them. I knew Bella's heart would be burdened with this for years to come. Even if she wasn't completely registering the horror now, she would eventually. I wondered how Alice had not foreseen this…

"Edward" Carlisle sounded horrified and disappointed at the same time, but his feelings were mostly shades of sadness. "How could you be so irresponsible?"

"I know, Carlisle, I know. I was just plain stupid. I should have taken the time to make sure were in a safe place before I set her loose." However, chagrin was not what he was feeling—awe and smugness were pouring off of him. Bella must've looked beautiful when she was hunting, and he was the newlywed bridegroom, too blinded by love to be thinking clearly. This was unusual for Edward.

"Edward…" Bella murmured, embarrassed, reminding me of the human Bella that was perpetually humiliating herself in a family of graceful vampires. She must feel this way again—feeling inferior, an uncontrollable newborn amongst a family of mature vampires.

"He's absolutely right to rebuke me, Bella. I made a huge mistake. The fact that you are stronger than anyone I've ever known doesn't change that fact." He was grinning as he talked, which made me suspicious. My Alice's scathing comment, "Tasteful Joke, Edward," made me even more curious.

Joke? Edward would never make a joke out of hunting humans, especially in front of Carlisle and Esme.

"I wasn't making a joke. I was explaining to Jasper why I know Bella can handle this. It's not my fault everyone jumped to conclusions."

_Jumped to conclusions?_ I replayed what Edward had said…_caught the scent…stronger than anyone I've ever known…_

_NO!_ "Wait! She didn't hunt the humans?" How? What? Humans? It was nearly impossible for a fully mature vampire to resist a human scent when we were following our hunting instincts—I think, even with his years of training, it would be a task for even Carlisle. When he was at the hospital and around humans, he was allowing his humanity to lead, not his vampire instincts…

"She started to," Edward reassured, although why he was reassuring me, I didn't know. But I could feel his intentions clearly. "She was entirely focused on the hunt."

"What happened?" Carlisle interrupted, intrigued.

"She heard me behind her and reacted defensively. As soon as my pursuit broke into her concentration, she snapped right out of it. I've never seen anything to equal her. She realized at once what was happening and then…she held her breath and ran away."

I found myself going still—vampire still. My mind, of its own accord, was racing backwards. First, only a year ago, in this house…Remembering with perfectly clarity Bella's blood, just a drop, spilled. Burning in my throat, but stronger than that, the instinct. The instinct to hunt, flipped like a switch, at that fresh scent. I was a slave to it, no other thoughts in my mind, other than obeying. I remembered lunging for it, fighting to get to it…

My mind went back farther, to another girl, at another time. This girl did not have vampires to protect her, and she did not survive my predatory instincts. Her face blended into that of an older man, somebody's grandfather. ..

Before my photographic mind could replay the thousands of victims—my victims, especially the dozens that had come after the decision not to hunt humans, the ones who's deaths were accidents—I forced myself back to the present.

I clamped down on my desperate and thirsty feelings before I passed them onto my family and focused on Emmett's words.

"Woah, seriously? "

"He's not telling it right. He left out the part where I growled at him," Bella said shyly.

While not enough to make me smile, Bella's candor did warm my cold heart slightly.

"Did ya get in a couple of good swipes?" Emmett, while appearing to be making light of the situation, was actually attempting to diffuse the tense situation in his unique way.

"No! Of course not." Wait a minute. She didn't attack Edward?

"No, not really? You really didn't attack him?" Emmett asked exactly what was on my mind.

"Emmett!" Bella was getting uncomfortable with the attention on her, and I was getting uncomfortable with this girl standing in front of me. What kind of newborn can resist the smell of human blood and stop herself from attacking another vampire who she sees as a threat?

"Aw, what a waste." Emmett groaned. "and here you're probably the one person who could take him—since he can't get in your head to cheat—and you had the perfect excuse, too. I've been dying to see how he'd do without that advantage."

…_the perfect excuse…_

"I would never."

…_the perfect excuse…_being a newborn…out of control…an excuse…

Edward looked at me, and threw a punch on my shoulder that would've shattered human bones, but did its job at getting my attention. "You see what I mean?"

What he means? I frowned deeper, if that were possible. No, I didn't see what he meant. It wasn't logical…not right. "It isn't natural."

Esme spoke up, although I barely heard her. "She could've turned on you—she's only hours old."

…_hours old…_

I had turned on Edward, a year ago, fighting him, out of my mind, driven by instinct.

…_the perfect….excuse…._

Some part of my mind registered that Bella wanted to get past me, but I couldn't move, frozen by stress. My mind was working in circles, yet not comprehending anything I thought. I thought I heard someone else speaking, but my mind was starting to float, and instinct was taking over…

"Jazz," the one voice, the only voice, caught my attention. Alice continued. "This isn't' anything you've seen before. Trust me." I looked at her, and knew, that while I could not trust Bella, this new vampire, nor Edward, her love-sick husband, nor myself, this blood-thirsty creature….

…_excuse…_

I could trust her.

I nodded and stepped aside.


	17. Chapter 17

For Faeking, who loved 'Little Sister' enough to poke me.

_Some part of my mind registered that Bella wanted to get past me, but I couldn't move, frozen by stress. My mind was working in circles, yet not comprehending anything I thought. I thought I heard someone else speaking, but my mind was starting to float, and instinct was taking over…_

"_Jazz," the one voice, the only voice, caught my attention. Alice continued. "This isn't' anything you've seen before. Trust me." I looked at her, and knew, that while I could not trust Bella, this new vampire, nor Edward, her love-sick husband, nor myself, this blood-thirsty creature…._

…_excuse…_

_I could trust her. _

_I nodded and stepped aside. _

One might think that Alice was dependent on her visions of the future. However, Alice was innately aware that her visions were erratic and determinable, not to be completely trusted. Therefore, she integrated her glimpses of the future with her perfect vampire senses and her uncanny female intuition. The result was someone who had confidence of her decisions. Half a century of living with her gave me confidence in her confidence. This was the only reason I stepped aside.

I put what I hoped was a brotherly, reassuring hand on Bella's shoulder and sent her a wave of reassurance as she stepped forward toward her daughter. I tasted Bella's mood, anxious for any sign of predatory instinct. Instead, I felt curiosity and caution and fear. Not the same fear that was rolling off of Jacob, which had a 'flight or fight' taste to it, or a terror that was the last emotion of most of my victims…..no, it was more in the aura of someone handling something precious. The same trepidation that was Edward's constant companion since he first loved Bella.

Renesmee's impatience, which never progressed much since birth as her whims were catered to by the wolf and Rosalie, was starting to escalate to anger. Her waves of irritation were coming faster, overriding my family's tense anxiety and Jacob's ever-annoying protectiveness. Edward's calm reassurance was an oddity in the room—and the irony of that didn't escape me, even during this critical moment.

While I was not as surprised as everyone else, forewarned by her growing agitation, Nessie's sudden cry of pain shot straight through my unbeating heart. I raced to her, beating everyone except Edward and Jacob to Rosalie's side. Jacob's instinctual protectiveness flared, as did the instinct of 'flight.' I knew he wanted to get Renesmee away from the situation, but I imagine the eight vampires within striking distance made him think twice about it.

While Rosalie reassured Jacob that Renesmee was only anxious to see her mother, Bella's tender feelings preceded her answering comment, "She wants me?"

Edward returned to Bella, torn between his two girls. "She's been waiting for you for almost three days," he told her, encouraging her closer.

I was unsure why he was pushing her closer. Pushing her seemed to be his theme that day. Taking everything so fast. So many emotions. I knew he could read my thoughts and had as good a read as I did on the swirling vortex of feelings in the room—Jacob's worrying me only second to Bella's. Instincts were so different than feelings; they were nearly impossible to ignore. Bella's instincts were just hours old, and Jacob's were controlled by an ancient imprinting phenomenon, both of which were inherently feral. And Edward was pushing the two of them closer…Jacob shaking, fighting his desperation with Nessie's vulnerability…Bella, cautious, curious…..wondering…watching Jacob…and Renesmee…

Needing to diffuse the situation, I send Bella a surge of confidence. She immediately took the last step toward Jacob and reached out and held her daughter. Bella and Renesmee's feelings settled into a sense of contentment, as did most of Edward's. The rest of the family remained tense, but Jacob's anxiety rose higher, if that was even possible.

Renesmee reached out to show Bella one of her thoughts, and Bella froze in shock. Tensed, not knowing if Edward had prepared Bella for this, and in case this surprise sent Bella into attack mode, we all held our breath and waited. I never felt any aggression from Bella, though, only incredulity and shock. "What….was…_that?_"

"What did you see?" Rosalie asked, and while her voice held only curiosity, Edward and I both were aware of the slight jealousy hovering underneath. "What did she show you?"

"_She_ showed me that?"

_Seriously, Edward? You didn't tell her about Renesmee's communication? And, I am assuming you didn't clue her in to Jacob's imprinting—how much shock do you think she can handle before she snaps?_ I conjured memories of newborn vampires, instinctive and sensitive to unfamiliar stimuli, attacking friend and foe alike. I pointedly imagined Bella attacking Carlise, who would not defend himself, or Esme, who would be more worried about Bella than herself, hoping Edward would see the danger he was flirting with. Even though he ignored me throughout my mental message, the flash of guilt I felt from him told me he was listening.

"I told you it was hard to explain, "Edward murmured to her, but also for my benefit, I was sure. "But effective as means of communications go." _It's not THAT hard to explain,_ I mentally told him. "_Bella, be prepared if the baby tries to touch you—she may be showing you a vision. Similar to what Alice sees, but the past, instead of the future." _Again, he ignored my sarcasm.

While the rest of the family started to discuss Renesmee's communication gift, I fought the urge to relax. I noticed the rest of the family start to distract themselves—Carlisle and Edward, talking about Renesmee, Esme by watching Bella and Nessie with a fond smile, Rosalie by watching Bella with a wistful look and a longing…Emmett watching Rosalie, a tender pain coming from him. Only Jacob stood as alert as before, tense and ready for the moment when Bella would be a harm to her daughter, his hands still clutching Nessie. I watched Jacob and Bella, wondering which I would need to subdue first. I could feel his panic rising as Bella's joy grew. Any increase in emotions, positive or negative ones, could lead to the snap that I knew was inevitable. I wondered if I should preemptively steer Bella away from Renesmee.

_Edward, perhaps we should bring this reunion to a conclusion. Jacob is getting more agitated and Bella is getting more…emotional. If you can distract Bella, get her attention away from Renesmee, Rosalie can take care of Nessie…_

However, it was Alice, instead of Edward (whom I was starting to suspect was ignoring my mental pleas anyway), who interrupted, "She's fine." I doubted she could see my plans forming since Jacob and Nessie were so close, but I am sure she could feel my unease.

Jacob, however, was growing more panicky. "Haven't we experimented enough for one day? Okay, Bella's doing great, but let's not push it."

Bella's feelings of happiness immediately spiked with irritation. "What is your _problem_, Jacob?" she asked with annoyance. "Anger and fear spread as she and Jacob both grasped for Renesmee. Edward became defensive as he hissed, "Just because I understand, it doesn't mean I won't throw you out, Jacob. Bella's doing extraordinarily well. Don't ruin the moment for her." It was a warning and a threat in one.

"I'll help him toss you, dog," Rosalie hissed, and with the amount of bitterness in her emotional coloring, I imagined that she was transferring her jealously at Bella and Renesmee's reunion onto Jacob, who was a safe target for her anger. "I owe you a good kick in the gut."

Bella's confusion and annoyance grew as she looked around her, seeing as for the first time the packed-together vampires—the lines of concern on Carlisle's face, the worry coming from Esme, and the—

SNAP! The moment I had been waiting for, her emotions changed immediately to pure rage.

"No!" The hiss from Bella followed her change in emotions immediately.

_Restrain her._ His arms moved before my command as soon as he felt the shift in her emotions. I suppose he was paying attention to my thoughts, after all.

I snapped to attention, already in soldier mode. Protection of innocents came first—how to get Renesmee, Esme, and Alice away from Bella became my first priority. I tried to catch Emmett and Rosalie's eyes to get Renesmee, hoping that Jacob wouldn't put up a fight, triggering Bella's instincts. I calculated she would be less likely to attack Rosalie than Jacob. Edward was the only one she would allow to restrain her.

As I was catching Rosalie's eye, Bella spoke. "Rose, take Renesmee." Good. That was going according to plan.

Jacob instinctively gave Nessie to Rosalie. His imprinting instincts automatically knew that was where she would be safest. Interesting.

"Edward, I don't want to hurt you, so please let go of me."

His eyes cut to mine, uncertain.

I concentrated on Bella, feeling a cold calculated rage coming from her. _She is in control of her anger for now. I am not sure you could stop her by yourself anyway—if she attacks him, she'll just take your arms off. If you can be on one side of her and I am on the other side, we can grab her from the sides and between the two of us, possibly restrain her._

He closed his eyes briefly in acknowledgement as Bella said, "Go stand in front of Renesmee."

_Don't go that far away._ I met Emmett's eyes, who was standing defensively beside Rose, and nodded, and he moved to stand in front of Rosalie and Renesmee.

Carlisle was in front of Esme, protecting her. I looked around the room, searching for vulnerable points, but knowing that when Bella attacked, she would only attack Jacob. As long as my family did not step in to stop her, Edward, Emmett and I should be able to restrain her before she did too much damage to the mutt.

Bella slowly crouched and stalked her prey. "You didn't…" she warned Jacob.

Jacob backed up defensively. "You know it's not something I can control," he pleaded. I could tell he was not afraid, but was calculating his movements carefully.

"You _stupid mutt! _ How _could you_? My _baby!"_ But still, she didn't spring. Her wrath was contained, for now.

Jacob had continued to slowly back away, drawing Bella with him. What appeared to be defensive movement was not, as evidenced by a lack of any feeling of fear from him. He was drawing Bella away from Renesmee. As he slowly backed away, Emmett and Rosalie backed away in the opposite direction, unnoticed by Bella. Rosalie's emotions were a mix of protectiveness touched with smug amusement, and Emmett was amused with a touch of protectiveness. The two of them were the only ones amused. Esme and Carlisle were concerned, and Alice was annoyed. I wondered why she was annoyed, but I didn't want to concentrate on her, as long as she was safe.

_The dog has some sense_. I thought to Edward. _This will be better—if we have to fight her, outside is better._ Edward grimaced at me, but nodded. We shadowed Bella's footsteps, staying within arm's reach of her.

Bella continued to stalk her prey through the front yard as Jacob continued to plead, "It wasn't my idea Bella!"

"I've held her all of one time, and already you think you have some moronic wolfy claim to her? She's _mine._" Bella was staking her claim—something I had seen many times with newborns, although always protecting the hunt, their food. They would fight to the death for their claims.

"I can share," Jacob tried to reason, drawing her farther away from the house and Renesmee. Newborn vampires did not have the concept of sharing. Edward motioned for us to stop, giving Bella more room. _Not a good idea._

Emmett's joyous attitude was in contrast to the worry around us. "Pay up," he said, unconcerned, probably to me. A part of my brain remembered the wager we had made the previous summer about Bella's temper, but now was not the time to settle it…

"How dare you _imprint _on _my_ baby?" While Bella was barely restraining herself, her pure disgust was evident. I actually had to agree with her point—what are the odds of this happening. The irony of the situation was almost comical. Almost.

"It was involuntary," Jacob replied drawing closer to the forest. I could feel his desire to shift, knowing he could protect Renesmee better as a wolf, but not wanting to trigger Bella's predatory instincts. Suddenly, Seth and Leah were surrounding Jacob. Bella snarled at them, and I tensed. Now that the innocents were protected, we needed to isolate Bella.

_Edward, we need to distract Bella, defuse the situation. If you can talk to her, I can calm her emotions._ He looked at me for a moment and shook his head. His eyes immediately shifted back to Bella. _I understand that you want her to have this moment to work this out with Jacob. However, now is not the time. Small steps. _ He ignored me as Jacob tried to reason with Bella.

Bella's fury was evident, even to the rest of the family. "Why should I listen?"

" Because you're the one who told me this. Do you remember? You said we belonged in each other's lives, right? That we were family. You said that was how you and I were supposed to be. So…now we are. It's what you wanted."

That was an odd argument, and not what was needed to calm Bella. I inwardly cringed and wished Jacob could read minds. "You think you'll be part of my family as my _son-in-law_?" Even Edward cringed at those words, blanching at the thought. His disgust was obvious.

Emmett laughed, his loud booming voice cutting the tension from the doorway where he stood guarding Rosalie and Renesmee. Esme's voice of reason was heard next. "Stop her, Edward. She'll be unhappy if she hurts him." _Listen to your mother_, I added, hoping Edward would be moved by peer pressure, and also hoping Carlisle was mentally telling Edward the same thing.

But Edward only shook his head again, watching Bella with a mixture of pride and awe in his eyes. I knew that, after all of these months of protecting her, worrying for her, he was reveling in watching her be strong, his equal. He was being lulled into a false sense of security by her current restraint. We would not be close enough when she struck. However, I knew Edward was in charge of the decisions here, as she was his wife, and I automatically followed the orders of the man in charge. Even when he was making a mistake.

"No!" Jacob shouted, outraged and slightly disgusted himself. His emotions were, for the first time, defensive. "How can you even look at it that way? She's just a baby, for crying out loud!"

"That's my _point_!" Bella yelled, and I was momentarily pleased with the outcry. Yelling was better than hissing, which was a vampire's instinctive method of communicating during a fight.

"You know I don't think of her that way! Do you think Edward would have let me live this long if I did? All I want is for her to be safe and happy—is that so bad? So different from what you want?" His voice had grown louder as he talked, and his defensiveness became evident. Bella growled at him, but still, did not attack. I was beginning to wonder why…

"Amazing, isn't she?" Edward said, presumably in response to one of Carlisle's thoughts, as he turned to his father.

"She hasn't gone for his throat even once," Carlisle said in awe.

_Not yet,_ I added, although my thought lacked the sarcasm I intended, and sounded almost uncertain.

"Fine you win this one," Emmett started to say, before Bella interrupted him.

"You're going to stay away from her," she hissed, crouching deeper to add weight to her threat.

"I can't do that!" Jacob replied, feeling a bit panicky.

"_Try. _Starting _now."_

"It's not possible. Do you remember how much you wanted me around three days ago? How hard it was to be apart from each other? That's gone for you now, isn't it?"

Bella didn't respond, waiting.

"That was her. From the very beginning. We had to be together, even then."

Bella was quiet for a moment, unconsciously rising slightly from her crouch. Her anger started to ebb, and her reply lacked the venom of her previous threats, "Run away while you still can."

I could feel the moment starting to relax, and Edward's smile started to grow. Even Jacob started to calm down. "C'mon Bells! Nessie likes me too."

Bella froze, stopping her breathing. The rest of us froze as well, and my eyes cut to Edward. _What happened?_

Before he could respond, Bella answered. "_What_…did you call her?" Cold, numbness washed from her as everyone but Jacob waited as still as statues.

"Well, that name you came up with is kind of a mouthful and—"

_WHOOSH! _Cold became hot as Bella's numbness raged into anger and she shrieked, "You nicknamed my daughter after the Lock Ness Monster?" The heat exploded as she lunged out of her crouch and launched herself at Jacob Black.


	18. Chapter 18

Edward raced toward Bella, but unable to read her thoughts, he was a step behind her both mentally and physically. Jacob merely raised his hands to deflect some of her power, but did not shift in the space of a moment that he had before Bella reached him. However, it was Seth, faster than a bullet, lunging between Jacob and Bella, that stopped her assault. Her hands wrapped around his front torso instead of Jacob's neck, and the series of snaps and crunches that followed were almost drowned out by Leah's snarls as she jumped at Bella from the side.

All of this happened in a quarter of a second, a blur even for us vampires. A fraction of a moment later, Edward, Alice and I had reached Bella and Seth. Edward, reading my intentions, shifted his path slightly as Alice and I intercepted Leah. Before she was able to attack Bella, I raced to her side, simultaneously crouching in a defensive position and sending as much calm as I could toward Bella and Leah. Leah hesitated just long enough for Carlisle and Emmett to reach us and Jacob to offer a distracted, "Stop, Leah," as he stared in shock at Seth. Seth fell out of Bella's grip as Edward and Emmett pried her arms away. Luckily, Bella must've started to lose some of her anger, even though she was still starling, or else she would've turned to attack Edward or Emmett.

Carlisle scooped Seth up a moment before he would've hit the ground and sprinted him toward the house, Leah hot on his heels. Esme accompanied Carlisle inside, Rosalie and Renesmee already out of sight. His heartbeat was strong, so I knew he was in no grave danger. After what Jacob had healed from last spring when he was crushed in a similar fashion, I knew Seth would have an annoyingly painful but full recovery. "Leah, he's fine. Feel free to shift human and accompany him inside," I told her, while still calming her. She stared at me in what I had to assume was anger and turned around ran toward the back of the house.

I turned around to find Edward embracing Bella, Alice rubbing Bella's back soothingly, and Emmett standing by with an amused grin on his face, his head slightly shaking. Jacob had a dazed look on his face, conflicted feelings flowing from him as he looked from Bella to the house, where Seth and Renesmee both were. Edward, replying to his thoughts, murmured, "You probably need to go help Carlisle with Seth. He'll need to phase back so that Carlisle can treat him, and he may need your help." He and Jacob both cringed, again probably remembering Jacob's previous situation, and yet Jacob still hesitated. He glanced back and forth between Edward and Bella, and Edward nodded. Finally, he ran for the house.

Bella opened her mouth to say something, but before she could, I interjected, "Bella, are you okay?"

She looked at me with a gaze that mirrored her feelings: ebbing anger, confusion, fear, and mounting shame. As her feral instincts were waning and logic was beginning to surface, the enormity of what she did was starting to sink in. I sent her a wave of reassurance as Edward whispered in her ear, "Everything's all right, love. You didn't do anything wrong."

The whimpers that were coming from Carlisle's study were an uncomfortable answer to his reassurance. Almost as soon as the statement left his mouth, the wolf-whimpers had turned to human moans, signaling Seth's shift. I heard Carlisle ask Esme for morphine, and looked at Bella's horrified face as she fully realized what had happened. She made a movement for the house, and Edward, Alice and I followed.

We ran upstairs, pausing outside of Carlisle's office, Edward and I looking through the open door. Bella was behind us, Alice's arm around her. Seth was sitting propped up in a chair, one of Esme's throw blankets draped across his lap to maintain some amount of his privacy. Jacob stood behind the chair, pacing, throwing worried glances toward Rosalie's room, where she was quietly singing to Renesmee. Upon sensing Bella, Jacob froze, a mirror image of Bella's still form.

"I'm…so sorry, Seth," Bella gasped, shame and shock emanating from her frozen form, still behind us. Seth, however, gave her a small yet sincere smile that she couldn't see and said, "Don't worry about it. Doesn't feel so bad now—that shot helped." Carlisle's hands roamed across Seth's dark skin, feeling the bones and fractures underneath. He began dictating a list of needed supplies to Esme, who I realized was taking Edward's usual place as Carlisle's assistant. Rosalie would have been another candidate to help him, but she was occupied with Renesmee. Upon hearing Bella's voice, though, Rosalie's singing had stopped.

I concentrated on keeping Bella calm and told Edward, _Let's take Bella downstairs and I can continue to calm her down._ Before he could answer, Jacob unfroze and slowly walked past us toward Bella. "Wow, Bells, that was impressive." Her embarrassment spiked and shame increased. "Jacob, I'm...I…don't know what got into me."

"Well," he said uncomfortably, "This is kinda new and weird of all of us, huh?"

Edward shot him a look that Bella did not see and said soothingly, "Let's give Carlisle and Esme some room to work. Jacob, I think Seth'll be fine, let's all go downstairs."

Alice danced away toward our bedroom, humming under her breath. She returned a second later with a pair of my pants and handed them discretely to Esme, presumably for Seth. My Alice would be the one thinking about clothes, although in this case modesty, instead of fashion, was her driving motive. However, I absently noticed the designer label on the pants and hid a smile.

Jacob shot a look toward Rosalie's room again, and this time Bella noticed. "Renesmee…"

Edward responded immediately. "Renesmee is just fine. Rose has her—"

Bella worried, "But she must be so scared."

Edward grinned, "No—I can hear her thoughts, they are worried," he threw a glance toward Jacob, "but not scared."

"Can we go get her?"

Before Edward could respond, I could feel the anxiety increase. Jacob tensed and we could all hear Rosalie's intake of breath. "Bells—you know…you're doing..so…well, and, um, maybe we should wait—"

"Jacob," Edward said warningly.

"No, it's alright," Bella said guiltily. "Jacob's right. I've caused enough problems, I'll wait a few minutes at least until Carlisle is done treating Seth, so everyone can be prepared to help me again." With a glance of longing toward Rosalie's room, she turned to go downstairs. We all followed her, except Jacob, and we heard him knock softly on Rosalie's door.

As we were going downstairs, we heard the phone ring, and all of us, aside from Bella, tensed. It must be Charlie, again. Sure enough, Emmett checked the Caller ID and looked meaningfully at Edward, who shook his head slightly. Bella looked at Edward, the question evident on her face, and he sighed slightly while giving her a reassuring smile. "It's your father. He's worried about you."

Bella's mouth formed a silent, "Oh," and her eyes glazed over. She stood as still as a statue for a moment, and then guilt crashed from her. Not sure if it stemmed from Charlie, Seth, or a combination, I continued to reassure her. "Bella, it's really okay. You are doing very well. Trust me, I'm the newborn expert." I attempted to draw her out of her guilt with humor, but other than an unconvincing smile, she showed no signs of hearing me.

We stood like that for a moment until we heard Rosalie and Jacob come down the stairs. Jacob had Renesmee in his arms, and she was leaning her head sleepily on his bare shoulder. Her golden curls stood out against his dark skin and black hair, and her deep brown eyes were veiled by her droopy eyelids. She was not fully asleep, but when she caught our scent, her eyes snapped open and traveled first to Edward and then landed in Bella. She smiled.

Rosalie spoke first. "We are going to sit outside with her to feed her. The scent may…be less potent out there." She was uncomfortable, and resentful, although I hoped the resentment was directed at Jacob for holding Renesmee, and not Bella. Edward raised his eyebrows at either my thoughts or someone else's.

Bella's shoulders dropped even more, if that were even possible, and she said dejectedly, "Yes, that's probably…for the best." Edward opened his mouth to argue, but shut it when his eyes snapped upstairs to Carlisle's study. Seth was asking to come downstairs and sit with us, and Carlisle was trying to talk him out of it. Finally, Carlisle had relented and he and Esme were helping Seth get dressed and come downstairs.

Bella, watching Carlisle and Esme practically carry Seth downstairs, winced. "Oh, my. I'm so sorry," she said again, despair crashing off of her. Jacob took the opportunity to slip outside with Renesmee, while Rosalie began to prepare Nessie's bottle.

I thought for a moment about everything that had transpired, and realized that Bella wasn't at fault. Most newborns were given a wide berth and plenty of time to adjust to all of the new sensations, feelings, and strength that came with their new life. While Bella had been educated on what to expect, I was uncertain how much she remembered about our talks. But more importantly, she was having to deal with her daughter, new mothering instincts, and the added threat of her biologically enemy, the wolves, as a constant source of pressure. We were asking too much of her, and Edward was giving her too much credit and leeway. Love was blinding him, and he was making choices that he would have never have considered with any other newborns. I was certain he was not treating Bella the way that Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett were treated when they were newly turned.

Edward, reading my thoughts, shot me a guilty look. "No, Seth, it is me that should be apologizing. Bella is doing so much better than I expected, and I grew comfortable and arrogant in just a few hours following her awakening. Bella, I am sorry," he said, turning to her. "You trusted me to keep you safe, and I wasn't close enough to help you."

"Naw, it's all good," Seth interrupted, sitting down carefully on the couch. "It could've been worse." He glanced at Bella. "I think the worst is behind us. It's gotta be all uphill from here." He winked at her, and she looked she wanted to smile back, but couldn't quite muster up the feelings.

Carlisle continued to work on Seth, feeling every bone, muscle and joint. Seth glanced around, uncomfortable, as he realized seven vampires were watching him be treated and cleared this throat. Esme glanced at Alice, Emmett and myself and said with forced cheerfulness, "Perhaps we should go for a run, a quick hunting trip?" Emmett perked up at the idea, even thought it was an obvious ruse to get us out of the house, and Alice grabbed my hand and smiled. For a moment, I was confused; none of us needed to hunt, and we should all stay with Bella in case she needed us again. Bella was calm for the moment, but…and then, feeling Esme's happiness and Alice's excitement (more excitement than she would normally have for a hunting trip), I realized they were going to stop and work at Bella's new house. I knew, though, that I couldn't leave Bella now. She needed me, and I had been expecting these first few days for months now, my time to help Bella. I wouldn't leave her now.

"You three go," I said to them. "We should continue to hunt in groups, so that there is always someone here with—" I started to say, Bella, but realized that would make her self-conscious. "—with, Renesmee. We're not used to having a baby in the house," I covered, with a chuckle.

Alice rose up on her tiptoes, and kissed me. She replied, "I don't want to go without you, but I do understand. I need to be away from the wolves for a while," she said, with an apologetic smile to Seth, "so that I can do some checks." We knew she was referring to scanning the future, but I wondered if she would be checking for threats to us, stock market trends, or fashion releases—or all three. Alice grabbed a cell phone out of the drawer and the three of them left out of the front door, saying goodbye to Renesmee before heading around back into the woods.

As they left, Bella looked at Seth again with regret, but before she could say anything, he patted the couch beside him. Bella and Edward walked over, sat down without jostling the couch at all, and watched as Carlisle examined each disc in the upper part of Seth's spine. Carlisle's thoroughness and patience amazed me, and I watched as he found small fractures that would escape any other doctor and most X-rays and set them straight. Bella cringed each time Seth winced, but was quiet instead of apologizing.

I marveled at the scene, especially Seth's hand sitting lightly on Bella's upper leg. Edward was sitting contently on Bella's other said, his hands holding hers. Seth's mind must be completely pure, or Edward would not allow the signs of affection that Seth displayed. I tasted Seth for any impure motives or thoughts, but found nothing more than brotherly concern for Bella. _He really has completely pure motives toward Bella,_ I thought. Surprised, I looked at Edward, who nodded ever so slightly with a smile. It was very refreshing, especially considering Quil, Embry, and some of the other teenage wolves had innocent yet hormonal reactions to Bella when she was human. Then, considering Seth's fondness for Edward, my mind started to wonder if…perhaps…Seth was—Edward's eyes shot to mine, anger stemming from him. He shook his head, protective of his friend. That answered that question, _even though it was never actually asked_, I thought, sarcastically at Edward. He winked at me and turned back to Bella, and for a moment, the room was calm. I took a breath, reveled in the serene feeling, for just a moment, when the phone rang again.

_A special thanks to all of the awesome readers who have been faithful to this story. I had some great reviews that convinced me to blow off grad school homework this week and write Little Sister instead! Thanks to dkrainier, DarthJackie, joayla, bremner53, thepinktabby (aka faeking, aka foufymaus, aka Captain Awesome), manda 2784, Annie's words, okievamp, Sarcastic-And-Loving-It, Kattzia, Fleur24, twilightromance4ever, LadyAllureAllurechan, eternallereveuse, emj6385 for awesome and/or consistent reviews! I don't always respond to them all, but I read and appreciate each one! Sorry if I missed anyone—review this chapter and remind me of how awesome you are, and I'll thank you next chapter! _

_Oh, yeah, nightdancers, get your nose out of the textbooks and back to FF. Writing AND Reading. ;-) k? thanks._


	19. Chapter 19

The phone rang, and other than a look between Carlisle and Edward, no one acknowledged it. Bella's guilt and sadness, originating from Seth's sporadic cringes as Carlisle set broken bones throughout the wolf's body, spiked as she realized it was Charlie calling. Although an almost silent sigh escaped her lips, she otherwise pretended she didn't hear the phone ring.

Another intake of breath from Seth took Bella's mind off of the phone call, her guilt changing to concern for a moment. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

"Yeah, that was just a bit…uncomfortable." Seeing Bella's face, he smiled bravely. "I don't think I have it nearly as bad as Jake did when he was crushed by that other newborn. That was bad, especially when they weren't sure if he had been bitten. And at least Dr. Cullen is a little more experienced at treating newborn attacks," he added with a chuckle. Carlisle smiled at him.

"Worried that he had been bitten…" Bella's eyebrows creased as she thought. "What would happen if Jake _had_ been bitten? Would he have been turned?" she murmured almost to herself. Jacob snorted outside, paying attention now that he heard his name. "No, that doesn't sound right." She turned and looked at Edward.

"What happens if a wolf is bitten? Do we know? Has a wolf ever been bitten when the vampire has not killed the wolf?" She turned back to Seth. "I don't remember anything like that from your stories."

"Before the newborn fight last spring, Billy and the other elders spent time with Sam, passing down every detail and fighting strategy they could recall their fathers telling them," Seth told Bella. "One piece of information was about vampire venom. They believe that it is a poison to our system. When Dr. Cullen was treating Jake, Billy and Sam told him that so that he could check for any bites on Jake."

Bella looked at Carlisle who glanced at Edward and then nodded. "As far as I can conclude from the information I gathered when treating Jacob, that legend seems to be correct. The venom works in a similar way on werewolves as humans, poisoning their system, attacking the muscles and organs in a systematic fashion. However, unlike the crystallization and preservation process that initiates the transformation from human into vampire, the tissues in a werewolf appear to react in a defensive way, fighting the venom, but in the process, dying without the preservation process in humans. In many ways, it is similar to a severely accelerated case of full-body cancer."

Bella looked stunned, but horror and guilt crashed off of her in waves. She looked at Seth and her eyes closed very slowly. "Seth, I am so sorry. If I had—"

"Bella, you didn't—" Edward interrupted.

Both of them were interrupted by the phone ringing again.

Edward glanced at Bella and hissed, "Jasper, just turn the ringer off, please."

I hesitated, waiting on Bella's reaction. I didn't want to make a quick movement to upset her.

"No," Bella said defeatedly, but not angrily. "We can't ignore Charlie or pawn him off on Esme any more. I need to talk to him."

Edward and Carlisle shared a glance. Edward turned slightly to Bella and took her hand. "Bella, love, we aren't so sure that's a good idea. Let's think about the long-term ramifications. If he talks to you, and he knows you are here, he is going to want to come and see you."

"Why is that a problem?" Bella asked Edward.

Bella was always an intelligent human, and now with her vampire mind she should be able to comprehend the folly of her statement. But her pure innocence in asking her question was hard to deny.

"There are numerous reasons, love," Edward explained patiently to her. "First, and most important, it is very, very unwise to be around any humans for many, many months. The situation in the woods shows that you have extraordinary restraint, but—"

Bella interrupted impatiently. "I _know_ I can't see him now—I was just thinking, you know…one day. Someday." She paused. "If I could talk to him on the phone, perhaps I could put that day off until I could handle it, and then see him a few times before he…" she trailed off, uncertain.

Carlisle paused in his examination of Seth and took Bella's hand. "Bella, what you are feeling is not uncommon. For Edward and I, the people we loved were gone before we were changed, and there was no one left to mourn us. But for Rosalie and Emmett, they had people they loved that they had to leave behind. They didn't get to say good-bye to their families. Even Esme was unable to see her parents again. Each had their own unique way of achieving closure, and Rosalie and Emmett were eventually able to see people they cared about from a distance, although I am not sure it aided their grieving process. In fact, we have to be careful with Emmett, as some of his family is still alive. You are very lucky to have many people from your former life as a part of your immortal life—all of us as well as Jake and Seth and your Quillute friends."

Bella smiled a little, although her sadness did not alleviate. "Thanks, Carlisle. It's a lot to think about. And you are right, I am thankful for my friends who I am able to keep." She smiled at Seth and then threw a doubtful look at the front door toward where Jacob was outside with Nessie.

Carlisle turned back to Seth. "Almost finished," he said. He was setting another bone, getting ready to brace it, when Seth moaned softly.

"I'm so sorry, Seth. I should have been closer." This was Edward apologizing this time, trying to feel repentant but mostly just feeling smug. He could afford such emotions since the situation was over, although we were all lucky that a newborn vampire's snap had such a peaceful ending.

"Seth, I—"

"Don't worry about it, Bella, I am totally fine" Seth interrupted patiently.

"Bella, love, no one is judging you, you are doing so well." The anger coming from Leah outside was in contrast to his statement—or perhaps, his statement could have been in response to her angry thoughts.

Carlisle finished putting the brace on Seth, causing him to cringe. "Sorry, sorry," Bella whimpered.

"Don't freak, Bella," Seth said, and I could feel exhaustion flowing from him. Between the morphine and his own adrenaline wearing off, he was going to crash hard very soon. Sleep would help him heal faster than he would heal on his own. "I'll be back to normal in half an hour. Anyone would've done the same, what with Jake and Ness-er….I mean, at least you didn't bite me or anything. That would've sucked."

Seth was trying to make it better, to distract Bella, but it was only feeding into her already guilty spirit. As I tasted the air around Bella, I could detect a flavor to Bella's guilt that was uncommon. I tasted it, swirling it around like a fine wine, trying to identify the subtle scent to what I was experiencing. I noticed Edward looking at me out of the corner of his eye as I was doing this. I tasted…disappointment? No, that wasn't it. Guilt mixed with a tinge of…failure and disappointment?

I watched Bella, and I was automatically taken back to a moment when I felt something similar from her. Her wedding day, as she spend time with her parents before she and Edward left. I felt a protectiveness coming off of her. Nothing like what I felt from Edward towards her and Renesmee, but more nurturing. Similar to Esme's unique emotional tone.

Pulling my thoughts back to the present, I knew that Bella was disappointed in herself, but it seemed like so much more. Remembering how she took care of her father, I realized that Bella had spent her entire life taking care of others—her mom, her dad, and even attempting to take care of our family in her own sweet, clumsy way. For the first time in Bella's life, she had no one to take care of, and everyone was taking care of her. She was not even able to take care of her own daughter. The enormity of this revelation was enormous to me, and by the tender looks Edward was giving Bella, to him as well.

"I'm a bad person," Bella whispered.

"Of course you aren't. I should've—"

"Stop that," Bella sighed, defeated. She didn't want anyone trying to make her feel better.

Seth's tried to distract Bella again. That seemed to be his method of making the situation less tense—humor and distraction. "Lucky thing Ness—er, Renesmee's not venomous. Cause she bites Jake all the time."

This fact did distract Bella. "She does?"

Seth, happy that he finally succeeded, continued. "Sure. Whenever he and Rose don't get dinner in her mouth fast enough. Rose thinks it's pretty hilarious."

I felt a curious thread of pride coming from Bella. Mothering pride? It seemed she was…proud of Nessie biting Jake? I'll never totally understand women. Edward looked up at me from Bella and winked at me.

"Well, Seth, I think that's as much as I can do. Try to not move for, oh, a few hours, I guess," Carlisle laughed. "I wish treating humans were this instantaneously gratifying." I felt fatherly affection seep into his professional demeanor as he told Seth, "Stay still," before he left to go back to his office.

Exhaustion mounted in Seth as he murmured, "I can probably manage sitting still for a while." Within moments, I felt the relaxed numbness that is the emotional marker of sleep from him.

Drawing that calm from Seth, I sent a small wave to Bella, not meeting Edward's eyes in case he didn't approve. She sighed and got up, wandering over to the window and looking outside. However, the guilt never left her. Her guilt slowly became tinged with thoughtfulness, and then confusion. Moments passed, and instead of feeling better, Bella's guilt continued to mount. I looked at Edward, who was watching Bella with a tender look, but made no move to comfort her. _Talk to her,_ I told him. _Tell her that no one is angry with her. Reassure her._

Edward looked at me with a raised eyebrow and I felt amusement coming from him. He cocked his head toward Bella, as if to say, "It's your turn." I stood silently for a moment, unsure. I was not allowed to talk to Bella, usually. I felt the old wall, the imposed boundary, shoot up at even the thought of approaching Bella. I looked back and forth between Bella and Edward, and Edward's emotions shifted from amusement to sadness…He offered me a small smile and nodded toward Bella again. It was time for me to overcome this boundary.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, wishing for Alice to be here. "What's the matter, Bella?" I practically whispered. This was hard for me. "No one is angry with you, or even surprised, really." Leah's anger was tangible, as well as Rosalie's annoyance, although I still wasn't sure who she was annoyed at. I drew upon Seth's calm again and spread it around the room. I needed it as much as Bella did. "Well, I suppose we are surprised," I continued. "Surprised that you were able to snap out of it so quickly. You did well. Better than anyone expects of you."

I looked at Bella's sad face, as she turned to me, and felt the tenderness rise up in me. She looked like such a little girl. I could see Renesmee in her, the same innocent eyes staring back at me. She could not be held accountable—by us or by herself—for what had happened with Jacob.

"I was thinking about Charlie, actually."

Pain from Edward was my first sense, as well as sadness from Carlisle and even Jacob and Rosalie. "Ah," I whispered, understanding more about Bella's guilt and disappointment. I looked into Bella's huge red eyes, her perfectly still body, and felt Edward's agitation. I waited for Bella to go to Edward for comfort, as she usually did, but she didn't move and her eyes didn't leave my face.

"We really have to leave, don't we? For a while, as the very least. Pretend we're in Atlanta or something." Despair came from her, as well as trust. Again, she was trusting me and needing something from me. A familial tenderness I never felt for Rosalie welled up inside of me. I would take that trust very seriously.

"Yes. It's the only way to protect your father." Right now, I would tell her the truth.

She mulled over this, a churning mist of emotions. Pain was the strongest as she said, "I'm going to miss him so much. I'll miss everyone here."

The last part of her statement confused me, as I wondered who she would miss. Certainly not the few acquaintances that she had from Forks High School. But as I saw her look at Seth out of the corner of her eye and then a few moments later shoot a glance at the front door, I realized that she meant her Quilute friends. She stood completely still, as he new vampire mind computed the inevitable, something that even the fastest brain would not be able to completely understand. She was going to have to leave her friends.

_Happy Eclipse Day!_

_For dkrainier: we never bet against Alice. _


End file.
